Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-03-27
25,OOO-BUSHEL
POTATO CURING :
PLANT PLANNED
Carter To Erect House
To Take F armers'
Production

VIII C. Carter, one of Americus'
retired business men, who has been
engaged in farming and hog-raising
during the past two years, announced
Saturday that he will build $4,000
potato-curing plant here, to be com
pleted in time to handle the crop
soon to be planted by farmers in Sum
ter and adjoining counties. Although
the plant will have an initial capacity
of approximately $4,000 bushels, it
will be constructed in units, according
to approved plans, and additions will
be made later if the initial capacity
should prove insufficient to care for
all potatoes offered here.
The building of this plant means
the establishment in Americas of
permanent stable market for sweet
potatoes throughout the season, as
well as affording facilities for the
curing of potatoes by growers who
may not wish to dispose outright of
their entire potato crop. Mr. Carter
has not yet formulated complete
plans for handling this phase of his
venture, but stated yesterday that
every facility consonant with good
business principles is to be offered
potatl-growers hereabouts, in an eff
fort to increase production of the
tubers, and establish potato-growing
as a profitable industry in this i'm
mediate section. The venture has
ample financial backing, and carolt
shipments of cured p0tat6es will be
made from Americus to northern and
eastern markets as soon as the first
potatoes have been cured and made
ready for marketing. The west also
offers a splendid market into which
the sweet potato will be introduced
at an early date, and large shipments
are expected to go from the Americus
plant to big brokerage houses in
Cincinnati, st. Louis and Chicago
within year.
Discussing his plans Saturday, Mr..
Carter said that although sweet DO
tatoes have been raised in large uuan.
titles IN this section during past years
the inability of farmers to market
them IN commercial quantities, due tc
improper curing and storage methods !
mas greatly hampered the industry |
with resulting losses in profits to |
the farmers. With recent diversifi. |
cation of crops, however, more at. |
tentlon is being given to the raising
OF food products, and the establish. !
ment of notato curing houses has
demonstrated the practicability of |
sweet potatoes CONNER. |
claIl y. R"siness men, railroads and |
producer brokers are cooperating in !
the effort to introduce the sweet 90. |
tato into northern. eastern and other |
markets, Mr.. Carter states. and there |
is every reason to believe that within |
a few years there will be a steady ;
demand for them at profitable prices |
POTATOES, he says, can best be pro
duced on light or thin" soil, not |
so We'll adapted to the production of |
cotton and other crops, and they may !
also be grown with a minimum of eff |
tort, not requiring anything like the |
care and attention which must be |
given to cotton. This fact, he saws. |
coupled with the ready market which |
Will be afforded for the potatoes with |
completion of the curing house |
should greatly stimulate the produc.
ton of potatoes, and witHn a few
years make the crop second in value
only to cotton and hogs, and probably
more profitable than either of these
Although the location Of the cur
ing plant has not yet been announc-
ed, MI Carter states it will be locSt-
ed with convenient trackage facilities,
permitting shipments of -otatoes to
be received and forwarded over either
the Seaboard or Central railroads.
The initial force employed at the /
plant will be about ten men, Mr..
Garter states, though this may. later
be enlarged as the plant extends its
capacity ard tho business develops.