The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-09-28
Paragraph Opinions .
Our Potatoes Get Boost

OUR POTATOES Get BOOST
Garrett county potatoes have been
given a boost by Governor Herbert
O'Conor, in declining a request from
Idaho's governor to be a Judge in a
potato-digging contest. The Idaho
governor termed O'Conor a neutral
governor whose state was not con-
cerned with potato production, and
Mr.. O'Conor pointed out that Garrett
county potatoes were superlative.
1t is true that Garrett county soil
can grow some of the best potatoes
in the nation, and it can also grow
some of the worst when no care is
taken in the course of production.
In past years Garrett county has
gained quite a reputation for excel
lent potatoes, and it is up to the farm
ers and potato growers to live up tc
that reputation and maintain it. There
is not much of an excuse for poor
grade potatoes when experiments are
being made in this county each yeal
to determine the best kind of seed tc
use and the kind of soil. This in
formation is available to any farmer
who desires it.
There is always danger that the
careless grower, with an inferior crop
will ruin the county's reputation by
marketing his products just on the
strength of such reputation. Unless
the standard is maintained each yeal
the county's reputation will gradually
be lost, so it is up to the producers tc
see that all potatoes that are marketed
as Garrett county potatoes, are of the
best, and when our potatoes are the
best the county can produce, there is
none better anywhere in the United
States.
An article in the October Country
Gentleman tells of the Sequoia potato
which has been obtained through
various experiments and cross-breed.
ing. Some of these experiments were
carried on in Garrett county and de.
tails are available from the county
agent.
Chance For Farmers
1t was revelation to see last week
how state can push its products pro.
viding the people cooperate. There is
hardly a roadside stand in Vermont
that doesn't display attractively its
maple sugar and syrup products. The
syrup was in various sized jugs anc
bottles and the sugar was in neat
packages. They were asking $500
per gallon for their syrup and probab.
ly getting it, too, although not from
me. | saw no reason for going clean
to Vermont just to get some Garrett
county maple syrup.
Farmers of Garrett county who
have sugar maple groves should give
this serious thought. 1t may take q
little more trouble to prepare it fol
market carefully, but the return will
be much greater than if they ship it If
big drums to Vermont, as has beer
the case for many years.
Almost Too Silly For Words
These writers from the city who try
to characterize Garrett county Just by
looking at a bunch Of statistics, anc
who never get any farther in Western
Maryland than Hagerstown and think
they have reached the edge of civil.
cation, certainly appear silly at times
The author Of Down the Spillway'
in The Baltimore Sun, ought to fee
ashamed of his deductions. He ad.
mits his ignorance about Garrett coun.
ty but makes the statement that the
county is in a bad way, judging from
statistics gathered in Hagerstown anc
the fact that the coal mines and for.
ests are depleated here He evidently
couldn't even conceive that there
would be agricultural land in this
county.
The occasion of his visit to Hagers.
town was to get out Of the city heat
and he reveled in the invigoratine
and Intoxicating sunlight and the COO
breezes. Judging from his remarks
about Garrett county he must have
stood bareheaded in the sun little
too long.
He gathered from statistics that
Garrett county couldn't support the
population that lives here and that
even turning all the mountains into
forest preserves could not save the
situation. If enough people moved