South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-02
MICHIGAN POTATO
PROBLEM SERIOUS
Many Reasons for Prices and
Shortage are Advanced
Bumper Crop ROtS.

DETROIT Mich. March 1.-The
potatoe problem in Michigan this
winter IS attracting widespread at
tentiou l'rivate INVESTIGATIONS have
been started to- determine why thou
sands upon thousands OF bushels OF
fubers have been allowed 70 rot in
country districts. while war prices
have been maintained in Detroit and
other Michigan cities.
Information obtained from vari-
Gus sections OF the state indicates
that potatoes which have sold for
45 and 90 cents a peck i'm Detroit
are a drug on the market in sections
less than 200 miles from here.
Farmers have tried to get 81 a
bushel for their product. and fall
ed. Recently they have been offer
ed about 90 cents.
Many reasons have been advanced
for the great range in prices.
Commission men have been
charged with unfair tactics.
Railroad congestion has been
held responsible.
The weather has been blamed.
The poor distribution system"
has been attacked
Last spring when potatoes were
selling for sky high prices. a ire
mendous campaign was prosecuted
all over Michigan for a record yield.
seed potatoes sold as high a. s. a
bushel and farmers have claimed
there was "A tacit understanding that
they would receive 81 a bushei for
their product.
Bumper Crop In 1917.
Vacant lots were planted all over
. the state. Hundreds Of families
raised their own potatoes and the
result was that millions Of bushels
of "spuds" were dug from Michigan
soil last fall. The average crop was
102 bushels an acre. against 45
bushels an acre in 1916. REPORTS to
the secretary of state estimate that
more than 40, 900, Gee bushels OF po-
tatoes was Michisan's yield.
Then something hsppened aud at
present. everybody connected with
potato business in the state seems 10
be blaming somebody, or everybody.
else There are two outstanding
facts. however, judging from vari-
Gus investigations. One is that rail-
road congestion and weather cOndi-
tons had something TO do with the
situation and the other is thai
Michisan farmers have something
like 10000, 900 bushels of potatoes
good Indifferent and bad, On their
hands
Potato shippers have come for
ward with charges of transportation
defects. One shipment of potatoes
from Cadillac 90 Detroit was on the
road Is days. il IL claimed. one
freight train was held up near
Glare. Michigan and four. carloads
of potatoes froze.
Blame Farmers.
on the other hand farmers have
been blamed by commission men.
Detroit dealers have asserted that
farmers held on to their stocks too
long, and that. when the crash
came. they tried 20 unload but
couldn't. II is claimed that il cost
the A4AllAtAc az 0uL % 30 GElltS a UnSAANA
10 raise potatoes last summer. II
is claimed. also that commission
men last fall offered between 90
cents and 81 a bushel for big con-
signments. Commission men i'm De-
troit assert that their offers were
quite generally declined and claim
that as Detroit's potato supply be-
can TO dwindle. bad weather came.
Finally. when Transportation con
ditions were at their worst, il is as
serted that the potato situation here
and in other cities became serious.
Emergency prices were offered and
accepted. Every body dealing in Qo-
tatoes. IL is claimed was satisfied.
. But there we're no cars. or at lea ST
no cars that could be moved
Millions OF bushels OF potatoes
which might have been eaten are
still lyius i'm storage on the farms