The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-01-26
Potato Dealers O.
Idaho Falls Write
Their Sorting Views
Continued from page two

consumption. We were in the stress
of the war period, the food admin
istration reigned supreme and theil
great idea was the conservation ant
distribution Of human food. An in
telligent analysis of the rules cover
ing both of these grades will con
vince any one that they are founded
on common sense and good judg
ment and are the result of good trade
practices since the beginning OF tht
industry. In fact, we are glad tt
say that the better class of Idaho
growers have always marketed really
better than U. S. No. l potatoes
The best of the No. potatoes have
always moved at small reduction
in price from No. Is, but the poorer
grades are worth more fed to stock
on the farm than they are upon the
market, excepting during periods Of
scarcity and high prices. -
We do not believe that any per-
son after giving the matter mature
consideration, who having operated
either as grower or dealer, under
standard grading rules, could be
driven back to operating under our
old system, or rather lack of system
In those days we purchased potatoes
from the growers as good sound
merchantable stock" but no one
knew just how to define this phrase.
If the market went up the growers
tendency was to crowd in most every
thing he had in his cellar. II the
market went down the dealer wanted
them polished, perfect and grown
in a mold. There was no recognized
standard Of criterion by which dis
putes could be settled and rights
defined. The confusion and difficult
ties between the shipper here and
the receiver at the other end was
even greater. Every shipper and re-
ceiver had his own ideas of what
"choice" potatoes were, and these
ideas were in many instances influ-
enced very considerably by market
conditions, prevailing when cars ar
rived at destination. Our present
federal standard grading rules do
away with all of these difficulties
and growers, shippers and receivers
make their orders and contracts read
U. s. No. or No. 2, and know what
they are buying or selling.
We have Investigated very care
fully certain statements that have
been made recently by parties oppos-
ing the above grading rules, in which
they have alleged that the farmers
of this community are having to
throw away SO per cent of their crop
to make No. grade. There may be
isolated instances where scattering
growers have had the misfortune to
raise such poor crop OF potatoes,
but we have not been able to find
the man who is proud enough of the
fact to admit it. We do know posi-
lively, however, that the great ma
jority of the growers are not culling
out half of the above percentage.
We have the names and addresses of
dozens of large growers whose GEL
lars are sorting out less than rs per
cent, and many of them are less than
Is per cent. We must bear in mind
also that even these percentages are
based on potatoes in storage, field
run containing all the digger cuts
and small potatoes. These small po-
tatoes are suitable for seed purposes,
and may later on be worth more
than No. 1 stock is at present. An
other consideration is that these
shrinkages. are coming only from
the Russet variety and still another
is that unseasonably warm weather
during the fall months was very un-
favorable for proper keeping Of
stored potatoes. We therefore are
convinced that the statements re-
ferred to are a gross SANDER on the
fair reputation of the Idaho Falls
potato growers, and that if they are
persisted in they will soon have a
decidedly deletorious effect on the
reputation and marketing of our
product. The great majority of our
growers are putting on, the market
every day a superior, merchantable
No. 1 grade, the same as they have
always done, and we consider it poor
business Judgment for any of us to
penalize this majority, by desperate
effort to market a few poor rough
crops at prices above their real
value.
Most of the Idaho dealers learned
by sad experience last fall that the
outside markets would not absorb
these rough, jelly-end russetts, at a
price that would much if any more
than pay freight charges. In fact,
we have observed that our own local
trade in Idaho prefer the smooth
we'll graded, plump end potatoes at
double the price; so what can we ex-
pect from the consumers at the other
end after we add eighty cents to one
dollar per hundred freight charges?
With an active market and materi-
ally higher prices, these conditions
may change, and we sincerely hope
they do. In any event, however, .
ERE is nothing in the world to pre-
vent any dealer or grower from put
ing on the market every sound po-
;ato he has, or any combination {
grade Of No. 1 and No. potatoes
hat his heart or fancy desires. The a
markets of the nation
ire open to you.
In conclusion we wish to correct .
certain statements that have been q
made regarding the operation of the i
present system of Idaho state inspec-
ion. Our prejudices have been ap- !.
|ealed to by demonstrations that our Il