The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-07-14
POTATO WRESTS THE
CROWN FROM WHEAT
Statistics Show That More Pounds of
Tubers Than Any Other Food
Are Consumed

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More pounds of potatoes than of any
other food are consumed by the Euro
pean and English speaking peoples as
a whole. All our 4S states can grow
potatoes, and yields of 100 to 200 bush
els an acre, with as much As 800 bush
els in fancing farming, put to shame
the Ia to 20 bushels of wheat grown
on an acre.
And yet commission merchants ad-
NIT that potatoes are the highest thing
in the market. In the seven.year
period from 1918 they have increased
in retail price 1853 per cent. In 1915
consumers were alarmed at Sl.S0 a
bushel, but this season SO bnshe and
80 to 40 cents quarter pack prevail.
People talk of coal famine, sugar
famine, and they are bad enough. But
the real thing is potato famine. For
example, lreland's in l84S. The Ger.
mans during the war feared no eco
nomic disaster like failure Of the
potato crop. Realizing the vital posi-
tion of potatoes, Germany raises about
twice as many bushels to the acre as
we do, and three or four times our
| tUtdis anu IHt pbIUldu
in some places, where they live on
potatoes as. some orientals do on rice,
is 25 bushels a year per person, while.
our consumption is only three or four
bushels per capita,
Poor Crop in 1916.
1t ought to be seen ahead by any
body who can count 10 that when food
shortage gets close to The famine stage
the stingy articles of produce will have
to yield to potatoes that produce two
to 20 times the best the Others can
do A wheat field or field of corn
turned into beef and pork produce mis-
erably compared with the hundreds OF
bushels of potatoes per acre.
Potatoes won respect in 1915 when a
poor American crop of 2S6,953000
bushels was flirting around 81 bushel
The next crop of 442 100000 bushels
eased the situation. In 1918 the coun-
try produced 400 s00,0 900 bushels, and
last year 3S5,800,000. Compared with
the increased demand it is easy to see
why three bushel barrels new from the
south should bring S25 wholesale, and
old potatoes bring S. hundred pounds.
The coming of the new crop is moder-
ating the prices, but they are still high
beyond all comparison with other
years Reduction in the acreage planted
last wear was attributed to high prices
for potato seed and the farm labor
shortage
The plain potato is the romance of
the markets. The farmer considers his
potato cultivation his most speculative
work. The ups and downs are so great
that he is afraid to plant large acre
age the first year following big prices.
And retail prices follow wholesale up
and down more promptly in potatoes
than in hardly any other produce. And
to-day the potato shows greater in
crease in price than any other article
recorded by the bureau Of statistics OF
the department of labor,
The worlds potato crop averages
about SAL 100000 bushels. In 1915
il was 3,044,3l4 900 bushels, but in 1915
it was only $4,000, which ac-
counts for the high prices at that time
The United States crop for 1918 was
35g, 72l 900 bushels, but with the rest
0. the world dropped down in 1916 to
$50 $3.50 900 bushels.
In 1917 the United states produced
"A, los 900 bushels THAT same year
Germany raised $50, 100000 in 1918,
400. 100 600; in 1919, 1858 100000.
The United States department OF
agriculture has received reports indi-
eating that the acreage planted for po-
tatoes this year will be FIVE per cent
less than last year Michigan reports 30
per cent. but California 10 per cent,
and the average less.
Aroostook county, Me, without any
comparison in this county as to pota-
to fame. yields on an average more
than BOO bushels to the acre, while New
York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
get only half as much per acre.
True, a potato is d per cent water,
but it has also lss per cent starch and
81 per cent sugar A pound has food
value of eight eggs, one fifth pint OF
milk or seven ounces of bread. The
poorest eat il and vet the roti boeuf u
Ranked by pomme de terre. -Philadel-
phia Record.