OCR Text |
Show Potato Growers Given Warning Farmers throughout the United States have been given a timely warning warn-ing through the federal farm board by C. C. Teague, vice-chairman, against an over-production of potatoes, pota-toes, and in the following some terse reasons, are pointed out: "The potato crop is one of the important im-portant agricultural crops of the United States. The annual farm value of potatoes is over four hundred million mil-lion dollars, or more than one-half the farm value of wheat. The prosperity of the potato growers is therefore of great importance to the country. "The outlook report of the U. S. department of agriculture on the ' intentions in-tentions to plant late potatoes, which forms the 'major portion of the crop, indicates an increased planting of approximately ap-proximately ten per cent. If the usual expectancy of yield is realized this will mean a total crop of 430,000,000 bushels. With a crop of 361,000,000 bushels for this past year great difficulty diffi-culty has been experienced to sell at satisfactory prices, considering thc-small thc-small size of the crop. Past experience exper-ience has shown that even with prosperous pros-perous conditions in the country the prices realized are in direct relation to the size of the crop. "If growers persist in planting the acreage which is indicated by the outlook out-look of intentions to plant, growers may expect the lowest prices they have had for years. Certainly there can be no justification for increased planting of potatoes that will brine certain disaster in price. It would seem only the part of wisdom for growers to reduce their planting intentions in-tentions for this spring by at least ten per cent. "It should be borne in mind that last year's production was seriously affected affect-ed by drouth. If the acreage planted had produced a normal crop prices would probably have been low. Surely Sure-ly there can be no justification of increasing in-creasing the acreage above that planted last year." |