Evening star., 1943-10-21
|Washingtonians
Urged 10 Store
Sack Of Potatoes
Record Crop Coils
For Prompt Action
To Avert SpoiIoee
BY GEORGE ENGEMAN.

Faced with an all-time record
crop of 469 900 900 bushels of po-
tatoes-100, 100000 bushels more
than last year-Washington COM
mission merchants and Agriculture
Department officials today were CALL
ing on District residents for aid in
the storage problem.
BUY bag if you can store them,"
was their slogan
One District commission mer-
chant, pointing out that thousands
of bushels of potatoes would freeze
and rot in the fields if a solution to
the warehousing problem were not
found, was particularly outspoken.
IF we can't figure out an answer
to this threat, then our so-called
American ingenuity is shot to
pieces" he observed.
Crop Above Average.
Now wouldn't advise everybody
to do what the fellow from Massa-
chusetts who was in my shop the
other day said he was going to do.
That is dig two holes in his back
yard and put a half a sack of po-
tatoes in each. But if everyone who
has cool dry cellar suitable for
storage would just buy a sack Of
potatoes right now it would be help
ing out the cause"
Agriculture Department officials
said the 100000, ,0O0-bushel crop
compares with 1863 900 900 average
for the 10 years from 1882 to 1912
and that the chief crisis is devel-
oping right now in Maine, which has
established two potato records. pro-
ducing around 100000 million
bushels against 100000 bushels
last year and averaging 37O bushels
an acre against a United States
average of 1895 bushels.
Despite the fact that additional
storage capacity was built this sum-
mer, every available storage place
in the State is now filed. the Ag-
riculture Department official said
and many of the late varieties, in
cluding the Green Mountains, are
still coming in.
Nearby Crops Harvested Early.
In contrast to the acutene.s Of the
Maine situation. he asserted, the
Maryland and Virginia crops have
presented no problem. having been
harvested and marketed early.
Joseph Cavanagh. secretary of the
National League of Commission
Merchants. 512 F street, joined in
the plea to the public to purchase.
He pointed out that the public prob
ably would be expected to absorb all
the extra 9,000,000 bushels which
final estimates added to the earlier
potato crop forecast.
Whereas normally a crop of 385. =
100000 to 4oo,OO0Ooo bushels can be
absorbed without harm to the price
structure, it has been estimated that
with dehydration, starch conversion.
lease-lend, higher incomes and
shortages of other foods, that the
United States could absorb some
440. 900 900 to 400 900 900 bushels this
year and still give the farmer good
Iprices, he said
Public Share Larger.
The estimate had been. he as
serted. that 814 per cent of the crop
would be available to civilians. Now
7 it appears that the public's per-
centage will be increased by the
100000 bushels added to the crop.
Nevertheless we still don't have
| too many potatoes if we can get
them under cover and protect them
Mr.. Cavanagh said There is moth
ing to alarm US. The harvest is
Slow. due to the shortage of labor.
In normal times we would have too
many. But today that isn't so. II
the public would just realize how
1t can help right now when prices
are lowest and transportation is
easy. there wouldn't be any prob
lem"