The New York herald., 1921-10-09
MAINE CROP
22,OOO,OO0 BUSHELS
Prosperity of Aroostook Coun.
ty to Make Up for Last
Year.
QUALITY REPORTED FINE
Farmers Extravagant, 20 Per
Cent. Of Notes Being for
Buying Motor Cars.

Special Despatch to THE New York HERALD.
BANGOR, Oct. 8.-Aroostook county.
Maine, which is said to be the best po-
tato garden in the world. will have a
crop Of about 22,000,000 bushels to
market this fall and winter. and with
prices even fairly good the farmers up
in that furthest northeast corner Of the
United States will more than make up
for the losses and sorrows of last year.
when much Of the crop was sold, at the
end Of the season. for 10 to 20 cents a
barrel or dumped in the fields where II
grew.
son, despite the drought. and the
Aroostook crop is fine In quality as well
as great In quantity. At present the
price is about Sc to sc.25 barrel OF
II pecks. but a considerable advance is
expected later in the season. At the
rate Of 700 bushels to the car, about
81, 400 cars will be required to trans
port the crop to market. A very large
share Of the Aroostock spuds goes to
New York and Boston. but considerable
quantities are sold In the southern
states for seed, usually in late winter
or early spring.
Potato farming in Aroostook is very
much Of gamble. In "fat" years, with
the aid Of lavish fertilizing. immense
crops can be raised from the deep, rich
soil; then. If the yield In the country
at large happens to be under the aver.
age, the Aroostook farmer reaps a
golden harvest. Many instance are clteo
Of farmers making enough in g. single
season to pat for their farm and It's
buildings and equipment. This season
q farmer who last year went heavily In
debt realized enough from n ffty-acre
tract to pay every dollar he owed and
leave a handsome balance.
The great trouble with the Aroostook
men Is that they are, for the most part
one crop farmers, that crop being pota-
toes. When potatoes are high and the
crop is good they make lot Of money
and proceed to spehd 1t for motor cars,
pianos, fur coats, diamonds and other
luxuries. There are more motor cars in
Aroostook county per thousand Of popu-
lation than anywhere else in Maine. the
small towns of the county surprising the
cities OF the State in that respect, while
the farmers homes up there are palatial
In comparison with those Of their breth-
rem in other parts Of Maine.
When the potato crop is a failure OF
the market Is low many of them, so they
insist, are unable to realize the cost o1
production, and potato farmers figure
conspicuously in the bankruptcy court
reports. Still they cling to the spud
Diversified farming does not appeal tc
them. and this year. after the disastrous
experiences Of 1920. instead of turning
to other crops all hands planted a larger
acreage than usual, taking gambling
chance Of having 'fat" year. They
seem to have won this time. but mex
year may be lean enough to offset al
this years gains.
An Aroostook county business man
replying to the complaint of potato
farmer about hard luck, asserts tha
their luck Is much better than that oi
the average American, but that extrava'
gance Is their undoing. In proof of which
he points out that OF all Of the note:
held in Aroostook banks 70 per cent
are for money advanced to farmers e
buy motor cars with, leaving only 81
per cent. Of the banks funds to carry
on the business of the county.