Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-21
F0SSUM PLEAS
FOR GRADING
OF POTATOES
Says 1t Is Only Way to Be Sure
of Market for Best
Quality.


Grading of potatoes as a means OF
| insuring a market for those of the
best quality was urged upon growers
Wednesday night by j. A. Fossum
state horticultural inspector of Butte
in a statement prepared for the agri-
| cultural broadcasting service of the
| Montana Farmer, published In Great
| Falls. By offering only the highest
grades to the market, the growers will
realize as much as if the lower grades
and culls were sold, and the surplus
would be left on the farm for consump-
! ton by livestock. the inspector stated
1t is a grave mistake, he declared, tC
permit potatoes to rot in the ground
because of a poor market.
The need of standardization of al
farm products is becoming more and
more apparent and farmers are realiz-
ing that it is the only way to get a
fair price for what they have to Offer
to the consumer" he said. Grains
have been standardized for a number
of years and other products have fol-
lowed suit. Potatoes, one of.the leading
staple articles grown on the farm, are
finally getting in line with other prod
ucts. A federal standard has been es-
! abIished and one state after another
has adopted it. and / believe that in
another year or two every state II
the union will market potatoes under
the federal grading rules. 1t is en-
%couraging to learn that from all parts
of Montana this year demands for in
spection are coming into the state de-
partment of agriculture at Helena to
the extent of taxing the inspection
service of the division of horticulture
to its fullest capacity.
Surplus Is Probable
"Of the four grades established,
federal No. / is the main commercial
grade, and all growers should make i
a point not to put up anything else ex-
cept where there is a call for fancy
Federal No. 2 should under no consid-
Grafton be placed upon the market this
season, when there IS every lndica
ton that here will be a considerable
surplus over and above what can be
consumed.
aside from establishing a stand
ard and building up a reputation for
the section where it is produced
which has been proved beyond a doubt
there is another thing in connection
with the grading of potatoes that may
not rave been given the consideration
that it should, and that is keeping the
surplus off the market. Grading high
even a little better than the standard
established, will help wonderfully
toward that end, provided that all po,
tatoes that do not come up to fedora
No. | are kept on the farm.
I'm this way, the surplus can be re-
duced or disposed of at home for feed
ing livestock and the producer can get
as much and more for his No. l grade
- - -l4 Ill L., yAtatnnS anmhInqS
would bring if the seconds ana Guns
were marketed.
II have heard it predicted that lot
of potatoes will not be dug this fall on
account of the market. This has hap
pened before. and lots have rotted II
pits and cellars for the same reason
This is a deplorable situation. Just
because there is a little more produced
than what will be consumed, the price
goes down so that it hardly pays tc
harvest and market the crop. Coco
crops should spell prosperity, but very
often it is the reverse. This CONDITION
can and must be remedied and L be
lieve the federal grades now estab-
; lished can be a great factor TO TINS
end.
Suggests Grading Plan
II take the privilege Of making 9
few suggestions as a starter that prop
ably will be taken up by others. but u
proved upon until the most practica
ideal will be worked out. Such ideas
as | may suggest in this paper may
have been advanced by others, but II
such should be the case, L am not
aware of it, and i wish it to be known
that / am not guilty of plagiarism OF
of stealing a~nybody's thunder.
"Soma states have adoDted the fed.
eral grading rules and provided fol
l inspection and c~ertification, but there
are a number of states where this has
not been done vet. In the latter case
this could be done by organization. The
: growers could form local grading asso'
Citations and the members pledge them
selves not to market anything below
federal No. l grade. Where no STATE
or federal inspection is provided for
the association could have its W IN
spector, who should see, too, that tn
grading is lone properly. This Wouit
J be far better than no inspection, al
3 though not as good as state or fedora
5 inspection. as the private inspection
would be unofficial.
Where they have cooperative o
other regular selling agencies, tn
a grading and inspection can be HANDLED
more easily. but where those agencies
. are lacking and no official inspection
available, the only thing for the grow
ers to do is to take the initiative them
selves. Where they have a farm bu
reau, it might be better TO get tn.
inspection through that organization.
j Husband Says Will