Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-04-05
ONLY REMEDY IN SIGHT FOR
MAINE POTATO GROWERS
Government Expert Investigates Conditions
in Aroostook County and Makes Report
Great Industry's Hope of Life Depends on
Tariff-Ruin C0nfrOnts Farmers

rangei for Us wT-h the -ArocSiook
members OF the State Legislature al
which ver:- free discussion OF the
potato situation was INDUCED in ,.
the members present Il ~ah ap-
parent from what was saio Isa1 the
situation IT Arcostook was CONSIDERED
70 he q rather critical one and thai
the acreage was likely 20 be very ma
.e-ia!.y decreased in 1918. Consid-
cradle feeling was displayed in re-
gard 70 he competition that the
Maine grower were experiencing
from the free admission OF Canaan
potatoes % tne American markets
We were accompanied N Hous-oh
Ne. from Augusta b. President Cfi1-
IN and NJ Ticker q me state oe-
partment Of agriculture. A CONFER
ere vas tcld n Ho.l-cn n ire OF
sce Of < l. Cleveland & CO. .;
winch -.yeral growers and Cea-e-s
were present About TIE same mo-
NATION WIS oota-ed there as vas
eat-e.@.f Il re meeting a. Augusta
i Developed II mis- conference ga
re Canadian growers were planning
~ large acreage of potatoes ms
ccr-- rear l. was further stated
b. ore q. t-a members presen- mat
lie Canadian government *as cong
everything possible 70 stimulate as-.-
culture IN Ire provinces. especially
ia t!c Maritime provinces, oE re-
.rlc-.ng tie tari- 81 f1lgic:des AMI
insecticides and potato machinery.
particularly spray machines ana
parts q sane. This Las come aoout
as result - II ac:.v.ty on tie part
cf the Canadian plant patho!oE!st ii
carrying On potato demonstration
spraying exper;ulec-s in Ear:oIs
paris oi Ire I-o. .rce= using Tor me
most part America made spray ma
ct.ne-y outfits.
Il vas also stated a: tn.s confer
ence tna- the daily snipmen, OF Ca
rad:an potatoes from Houlton would
averasc ahout -, barrels and which
T.. the mo- part were being shippe1
OF as Maine grown stock. the po;a-
toes icing hauled n by Canadian
farmers living close 70 the American
border. some Of the men present
estin4 Ted that there we're probably
900 barrels per day being brought
IN this way between Houiton and
Fort Fairfec the probability Is
that d considerably larger quantity
than this is being actually shipp=i
from Maine FONTS.
The Cost Per Acre
4. Caribou on Thursday, We aud
an cpportuni,y Of meeting the d.
rectcr. Of the Aroostock Federation
-eIc both N re forenoon and after
noon. Little further information than
uas secured 2. Houlron was present.
81 &. this meeting. There was. now
ever. some discussion il regard -
the losl OF producing m acre OF po-
taipe., i would appear from IRE !g-
ures presented that the cos Of pro
duc,ion for 1912 would range from
soi 80 81 per acre There wee.
however. some present who conSid-
cred ;his figure somewhat high. one
gentleman n particular. Mr. Carl
King. stated that his production
costs in 1918 or 81 acres were approx
ina teiy :l-5 Per acre.
FRIDAY was spent in Presaue lie
securing SUCH information as could
Hc p-lhFH HUN OSd 90 Ci-i SlO~
ers n town. One gentleman. whom /
consider - be one II the best grow
ers II the COUNTY. stated thai his
production costs il 1873 on 5. acres
were cor-sGera tlv less than $50 with
an average Yield OF lca barrels per
acre. OF course. this represents he
minimum cost CT production. bat i
also indicates what can be done when
the crop Is grown on land that is
under a definite system IF crop rota-
ton and where the highest sta:e ,.
cultivation is practised. The bess es-
Inmates that could be given as -
the volume Of the crop still 10 be
marketed in Aroostook county indi-
Gated that there was still on hand
on that date from en- to 81 per cent
II was apparent that a considerable
percentage Of this amount consisted
Of stock that in ordinary seasorA
would nave been marketed as seed
potatoes hut which. on account Of
their curtailment of acreage in he
South and other factors. such IS
high cost-of fertilizer and labor. re-
stricted the demand for this kind OF
stock. II was also stated by Afr
Cleveland that on account Of their
inability 10 get shipping TO carry
seed took to Galveston, Texas, that
they had entirely los, out on this
market and that this loss represented
somewhere between 500 and SEQ cars.
In reality the loss to the Maine
growers from their failure TO sell the
u.aal amount Of seed stock is great.
er than is really represented in GUAM.
tity alone. because it now has to be
sold as table stock and does not COM
mand the same price as do Green
Mountains For example. Green
Mountains were bringing from 81 TO
$40 per barrel at shipping point,
while seed stock such az Tri"mpr.
Irish Cobblers and Spaulding No. 4.
We're being sold at from $3.50 to s1.,,5
with occasional lots selling at a
somewhat higher figure.
Fertilizer Costs
On return to Boston I was informed
by Dr. Wheeler that he had arran2-
ed a conference for me with Horace
Bowker Ct the American Agricultural
Chemical Co.. New York City, tor
Tuesday forenoon. At this conference
on Tuesday morning, Mr.. Bowker
very kindly placed at my disposal
data showing the cost of manufac-
turing the fertilizer foods that are
now being offered by fertilizer COM
panies and practically substantiated
statements made by Mr. Moody Of
the Lowell Fertilizer Co. relative to