Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1925-02-19
Watauga Potato Acreage
To be Greatly Increased
County Agent States That Large
Numbers of New Members are
Coming in Daily.-Price of Seed
Shows Steady Advance.


Potato Growers Association is plan
ming this year to market consider
able percentage of its potatoes as
eating stock as soon as dug. The
probability is that more seed will be
required for the county than the
Association now has in storage.
The county agent has been work
ing on the freight rate from Boone
to various points in the south during
the two years tina the has been here
and he has succeeded in getting the
freight rate from Boone to principal
cities in South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi. Louisiana, Flo
rida, a rate that is cheaper than haul
ing by truck to the nearby towns.
Our freight rate to the cities in the
states named run from 80 cents to
60 cents per hundred which will en-
able our farmers to dispose of an
unlimited amount of potatoes at a
time when that section of the country
cannot produce for themselves. Flor
; ida begins shipping in April and May
South Carolina in May and the first
of June, eastern Carolina in June and
July and Virginia in July and the
first of August. The next largest
producing section in order is New
I York which does not begin to ship
until the latter part of September
leaving the latter part of August,
and the first of September with a
scarcity of potatoes on the market.
1t is the purpose of the Association
this year to grow not only seed po-
tatoes but also eating stock to place
on the market just as soon as they
are ready to dig.
! The marketing of table stock po-
tatoes will in this way furnish the
farmers an outlet for any off grade
potatoes or some that do not come
up to the perfection of seed. 1t will
also enable him to dispose of enough
of his crop to cover produc ion cost.
The Association plans to get a po-
tato grader and pass all potatoes
over it before they are shipped,
thereby placing on the market STAN
dard brand product and ship in STAN
dard bags In this way Watauga will
be able to get on the map as pota-
reproducing section. We have al
ways known that potatoes could be
grown here but our production has
been limited to the number of bushels
that could be WagOned or trucked
down the mountain.
The farmers of the county are show
ing their appreciation of this situa-
ton bv buying seed and planting op-
erations on a much larger scale than
heretofore. Several car loads of seed
have been shipped this week and sew
eral cars have also been sold to the
local farmers of this county. Mr..
Blair, sec.-treas. of the local branch
of the Association states that at the
present ate it will only be few days
before all their seed is sold. 1t is
probable that car of Maine seed
will have to be shipped in to supply
the local demand.
Due to the tremendous production
| of potatoes over the United States
during 1924 and the consequent low
price at which they sold on the mar
ket. the large producing sections are
reducing their acreage this year SO
that the price of seed has remained
unusually low just at this time. How
ever the demand is increasing at a
rapid rate and the price has advanc-
ed more than $1.Oo per bag so states
the. county agent Because of this
advance it will also be necessary FOL
the local association to advance Its
price. However Mr.. Steele states that
due to the fact that large number
of farmers have spoken to him fol
seed they will wait until the 23rd day
of February before raising the price
to local growers. This week the price
is $500 per bag, next week it will
be 1925. The price of Maine seed
delivered in Boone just now is around
81 per bag.
The banks of the county being in
terested in increasing the money flow
in Watauga county are interested II
the development of this potato in
dustry. The Watauga County Banl
in letter issued the first of the
month states:
"According to the usual trend O.
things, 1925 is going to be'the low
production year for potatoes with thu
price correspondingly high. Th
present demand for seed potatoes ant
the consequent low price is evidence