The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-19

States government is trying to i'm
press upon the mind of every farmer
and every amateur gardener in the
country. Perhaps half a billion is a
little too large a figure, but we pro-
duced 442, 1000 bushels of potatoes
in 1917, so that the half billion mark
is not far behind.
That potato crop of 1917 was the
largest in the history of the United
States Likewise, it was preceded in
1916 by the smallest crop in many
years, resulting in a potato famine
which we all remember well. Crops
have strong tendency to happen that
way-a large one and a small one al
ternating. The low prices brought
about by the bumper crop discourage
the farmers as to that particular prod
uct, and they plant something else.
This is one of the workings of that
law of supply and demand which
was formerly supposed to be as fun
damentai as the law of gravity. and
which we are now compelled to break
every day. The only reason you can
| now get sugar for less than twice its
normal price is that the law of supply
and demand has been suspended so far
| as it is concerned. The same is true
| of coal, and in a lesser degree of many
| other commodities. The government
| is now getting ready to break the law
OF supply and demand with regard to
meats. The new economic and bust
| ness law, which war has made neces-
sary, is that each man is entitled to
share at fair price what the nation
| has of any commodity.
The food administration will Doubt
less make this law apply to potatoes
insofar as 1t can. If a bumper crop
| is raised, they will see that the farm
ers get fair price for it, and if the
q IL
the dealer does not get an unfair
| price for it.
In 1916, when the potato crop was
| only 286, 5000 bushels, or a little
over half Of the 1917 crop, the aver
age price paid at the farm was s1.46
| a bushel. In 1917 it was only 1922
| a bushel. No wonder the farmers
prefer a small crop. Under the bene-
| ficent operation of the law of supply
and demand, the more you produce,
| the less you get for it.
| This year, however, the farmer may
| feel confident of a good price for all
| he can produce. For one thing, the
| food administration will do all in its
power to see that he gets it, and for
| another, the shortage of wheat will
| create an enormous need for potatoes.
potatoes and potato flour. The Do
| used. The food administration is pub
fishing recipes for making bread with
potatoes and potato flour. The po-
| ldlO Is ABOUT 10 occupy a Inucn larger
place than ever before in the Ameri-
| can diet
For potatoes are a starchy food,
and furnish much the same food e1e-
ments as the cereals. They furnish
| these elements in a much smaller pro-
portion to bulk than the grains be-
cause potatoes contain so much water
| Potatoes also lack the keeping quail
| tiles of grains. For both of these
reasons, potatoes are the logical sub
stitute for wheat, when wheat must
| be exported, as now. Among ways to
win the war, then, list raise and eat
| potatoesi
| The potato normally makes up
about IS per cent of our diet. 1t
percentage. 1t should, during the
coming year. take the place of many
million bushels of grain.
! TIE potato has one great advan-
| tage over the grains: that is, that it
can be taken directly from the field
to the table without passing thru any
manufacturing process. Potatoes and
beans are the two food staples which
| anyone who owns bit of land can
profitably produce for himself. He
cali. of course, produce abundant
fresh vegetables. but these. while i'm
portant, contain little nourishment.. 1t
would be out OF the question for him
to raise grain because of the compll-
| Gated processes of harvesting and
| milling which all grains must pass
thru before they can be used as food
| Blu: potatoes have merely to be dug
| and boiled. Hence their importance
| as q crop for the man who farms in
his backyard or in vacant lot
| AS you can easily find by consult
| ing the recipes published by the food
administration. potatoes can be baked
into bread, cakes and cookies, and
used FOR making the crust of meal
| pies. It is possible for potatoes to
appear OH your table in three forms
be recognized by the person who has
met the spud only in its more usual
forms.
The potato ranks sixth among tn,
food crops of this country, but it viii
very likely take a more fmportan
place before this war is over. TIT
United States is especially favored a
a potato country because it is possible
within a year to obtain two crops o
this important food plant Early il
. the summer comes what is general II.
called the truck crop, from the south
ern states and California; while tn
winter or storage crop is produced IL
the north. No other country in tn
world can<produce two crops of pota
toes, which supplement each other a
; do ours. These two crops are also inter
dependent for the southern crop i
raised largely from nothern seed, AM
is therefore dependent in some degre
upon the quality and size of the pre-
|, ceding northern crop. Also, the guam
,, tity of the northern-grown potatoe
, which remains on the market, whel
the southern crop comes in. has an i'm
, portant effect upon the price receive
!, for the latter; so that in years o
, abundance. owing once more to goo
: old supply-and- demand these tyr
crops. so perfectly timed by nature t
be supplementary. come into competi
ton with one another.
, The department of agriculture ha
> spent much time ami money teaching
the farmer how to know whether h
shall plant a large crop of potatoes o
) a small one. The difficulty is that
5 large area must always be planted