White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-10-23
CREATING MARKET
FOR SWEET POTATOES

manager of the Central Washington
Sweet Potato Association, was in
White Bluffs last Friday comforting
with local growers. Mr.. Lampson told
the Spokesman that the Association
anticipated no trouble in marketing
the crop grown in the territory along
the Columbia river from White Bluffs
to Kennewick. This is the first year
that sweet potatoes have been grown
to any extent commercially in this
territory and as it is more economical
to ship to the nearby markets some
work was necessary to induce dealers
to take on the crop from this district
and to educate the public into eating
more sweet potatoes. The taste for
them, like bananas and similar crops,
has to be acquired.
The markets now being supplied
from this district formerly got their
sweet potatoes In limited way from
California but the local product, Mr..
Lampson says, is gradually crowding
the California crop out of these mar
kets. This is due in a measure to the
willingness of dealers to give the
home grown product chance and
to the fact that the quality and price
are generally better than for the stuff
from California.
Bluffs-Richland -Kennewick territory
this year, Mr.. Lampson says, will be
between S and 6 tons per acre and
the average price to the grower about
$50 per toh. This brings a net return
of around $325 per acre which is con-
sidcred very good for a one year crop.
One thing Mr.. Lampson said he no.
ticed this year was the fact that the
yield on some of the new land was
as good as that on land that had been
farmed number of years.
Mr.. Lan'pson intends to plant $
acres himself next year and while
here got some seed from F. w. Stct-
fen. He anticipates quite an increase
in the acreage next year but with the
start made this year expects to have
no trouble in marketing the increased
tonnage. Once the reputation for the
sweet spuds from this district has
been established on the market and
the demand increases Mr.. Lampson
thinks that some advance in price to
the grower will be possible.
Dealers have called Mr.. Lampson's
attention to the fact that the trade so
far has shown preference for the
white or yellow sweet potatoes over
the red. Whether this preference is
to continue is yet to be determined.
IT the growing of sweet potatoes is
to be carried on here to any extent
which now seems probable a dehyd-
rating plant will become a necessity.
Such plant is a possibility at Ken
newick as the, following news item ir
last weeks Kemnewick Courier Re-
porter would indicate:
"A dehydrating plant for the pres
ervation of the virious products of
this district, especially sweet spuds.
is possibility of the near future.
A comparatively inexpensive plant
for the extraction of small per-
centage of the moisture of potatoes,
tor instance, would prove a boon to
the spud growers.
The process consists of keeping the
product at temperature of about
ninety degrees for about ten days,
evaporating seven to ten per cent of
the moisture, afterwards removing to
temperature of about forty degrees
for another ten days. Sweet potatoes
treated in this manner will keep for
six months or more and still lose no.
thing in flavor or texture.
"One of the first things the dealers
ask when approached on the matter
of handling Kcnnewick products is:
If we take on your stuff, how long
will You be able to supply us3. The
longer that time is, the better the
chance for the local product. Instead
of six weeks season on sweet spuds
six months season would guarantee
the sale of the CROP. A curing" or
detydrating plant would seem indis-
pGnsable.
I'm Yakima such plant is in op-
Grafton with marked success. The
same company, the Washington De-
MIGRATING Co., is anxious to install
similar plant here. If there is a
sufficient tonnage in sight for an
other year, this portion of the mar
keting problem can easily be solved"