Waupaca Record
THE
The
Gives the Following Write-Up of Crop Conditions
The
potato area in this state is not as extensive as
There will not be a very heavy yield of seed potatoes like Early Ohios and Triumphs, about one-half as much as usual, but of Early Rose there will be 90 per cent of the usual amount. This information has been arrived at by the Packer man thru interviewing growers and dealers of best repute in the district.
As to the size of the crop, that is a difficult question to solve at once. Last season there were nearly 1,200 cars shipped from Waupaca that were loaded at this station, and none of the nearby stations is included up to the present time. There are over 350 cars shipped already; that would indicate that 30 per cent of this year’s crop from this station has been shipped. There are ten large warehouses here and some of them have as many as 30 cars in them. There are hardly any of them that would have less than 5 cars and 150 cars in the houses would be a fair estimate so that would make in the neighborhood of 500 cars delivered to local buyers. It is thot by past experience and the way the growers are bringing in their stock that 200 cars would, in addition, be delivered by the first of the year. That would make about a 40 per cent hold over in the growers’ hands. It will not be any less than that and some think that is too low, that anywhere from that up to 60 per cent, which is entire too high as the buyers are loading up and seem to be as bullish as the growers.
Take a ten year average on the crop in this county, 100 baskets to the acre, it is no trouble to show that this year, as dry as it has been, is above the average. There is one section southeast of this city that has a soil peculiarly fine for growing potatoes, which is a heavy clay loam. Wm. Reid has land in that district that goes over 200 bushels to the acre and has over 4,000 bushels of potatoes. S. Jensen has the same average, with over 5,000 bushels to the same neighborhood. There are others with smaller acreages who have done just as well.
Those who had 150 bushels or over are Fred Redfield 2,500 bushels, Arthur Glazener 2,000 bushels, Dell Custard over 1,000 bushels on a little over 5 acres and A.P. Pope 1,500 bushels. These persons are all on R.F.D. out of Waupaca.
Those on the lighter soil who did not have under 100 bushels and even above 1,000 bushels are Clark Holeman 5,000 bushels, Wm. Stinemates 4,000, Wm. Stratton 3,000. Charles Knelp 3,000 and Ralph Bailey 3,000. The following had 1,000 bushels or over; H.L. West, Carl Roemer, Clay Brown, J.G. West, Charles Gibson, O.C. Harrington, C.H. Stinchfield, A.F. Anderson, John Erickson, Judd Winkler, Thomas Orens, Wm. Wright, Ted Minton, Lois Barton, James Christensen, Marcellas Barton, Edward Guyant, Wm. Edminster, N.T. Allen, Phinias Munger, Bert Hartman, Jasper Veely, C.C. Boyce, Fred Jorgenson, Benjamin Penney, T. Gunstine, George Madson, Louis Madson, George Faulks, J.J. Morey, Wm. Hicks, O. Brown, Peter Anderson, Alex Swan, Floyd Knight, James Bucknell, John Rasmussen, Fred Jansen, C.D. Peterson and P.C. Jensen.
With this array and others who have no such large holdings it would be no trouble to show that the crop around here is just as large with a probability of being larger, as it is estimated there was a decided increase in the acreage over last year.
As to the quality. From personal observation and looking at the stock in every potato house in the city, the opinion is that there will have to be a heavy sorting before they could be shipped to advantage, as they are all what would be called the run of the field. While some of the bins look fine, and are fine, one would only see a bin out of six that could without question be called first class, tho the others could be made so, but it is doubtful if the buyers will do it after paying the high prices they have been paying this season. The buyers are certainly deserving no pity as they have not the stock from the growers without screening and all the pretense to sorting that has been made in a few that are very bad indeed, but anything from pigeon egg size up goes.
As to the quality for table purposes, they are ripe and are good eating and the only fault apparently is their size and, if they were under a magnifying glass they would look as good as anybody’s.
These conditions apply only to this district, but north of here and southwest in this belt the potatoes are said to be better. It is to be hoped they are and also that the buyers will get backbone enough to run everything over the screen when they buy it as they certainly must do when they ship if they expect to have their shipments accepted and not turned down.
The Packer man has just come into this field and will be in it for several weeks and will report conditions without fear or favor as they actually are as near as possible so that buyers who are depending on stock from these parts will have some idea what the stock is.
The prices that buyers have been paying are 55 to 57 c. The price given all season has never been under 48 c. The bulk cariot shipments are about over. Everything is shipped in sacks and all precautions against frost are used. The tendency of the farmers here is to hold. Last year they held and got a better price and they think they can do the same this year. From past experience they figure it is best to hold. This is only with the heavier growers who have the finances to hold on. They all seem willing to speculate.
The A.M. Penney Co. is by all odds the heaviest shippers here and seems to be cognizant of the conditions and is determined to ship the best stock by heavy sorting and screening. The firm expects to have heavy holdings of seed potatoes for shipment in a few weeks.
Mortensen & Nelson are independent shippers, as also is H. Ebbe. The Northwest Produce Co. is a farmers company.
C.H. Chrsitenson runs one of the Penney Co.’s houses. James Rasmussen is in joint account with H. Ebbe of this place.
Ralph
Rowe and W.M. Brigham are running a house for Cochrane & Co. running a
house for Cochrane & Co. of Portage,
The
shippers here have the same trouble about car lining and stoves when they get
past