248 Report of Farmers' Ixstitutes 



POTATO STANDARDIZATION 



Orrix F. Ross 



Mature potatoes, free from blemish, of ideal shape and size, 

 at a low market price, are desired by the consumer. The grower 

 first of all wants a large yield per acre and the highest market 

 price he can get per bushel. These two desires are wide apart, 

 and can only be brought closer together by the consumer paying 

 the full price for the extra effort and the probable reduced yield 

 to the grower. In other words, I believe standardization is but 

 a cold business proposition, where the buyer can secure any grade 

 he desires whenever he is ready to pay for effort, time and 

 material used to produce the desired grade. 



In the United States most of the potatoes are sold for table 

 stock without grade or restriction. The most desirable size for 

 this trade is between five and ten ounces, and some markets will 

 pay a small premium for such stock, especially large hotels and 

 restaurants. There is a still smaller demand for tubers weighing 

 over ten ounces, used for potato products by manufacturers. I 

 am also informed that some sections and restaurants want a grade 

 smaller than six ounces.- On most markets the large and the 

 small patotoes can be mixed and sold for a price slightly under 

 the regular grade oft'ered. Where size alone is the main con- 

 sideration all parties can be supplied at a small increase in cost 

 by passing the " field-run " over a standard grader adjiisted to 

 make the three grades desired at one operation. However, if the 

 other desires of the consumer are met, the cost will be greater in 

 proportion to the demands, because to secure these conditions 

 something must be supplied that machines do not possess. 



The size, other things being equal, is influenced in the field 

 by the distance apart in the row, but what this distance shall be 

 depends upon many factors; such as, season, climate, soil, fer- 

 tility, variety and set, or the number of tubers per hill. The 

 important factors in growing the tubers to a large average size 

 are: a long and favorable growing season, right climate, with 

 good potato soil, plenty of plant food, and a large variety having 

 few tubers per plant. With these conditions present the plants 



