POTATO SITUATION IN SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA. 265 



be obtained by the large gardeners in our big cities. These large city 

 markets are often glutted by means of the heavy shipments that come 

 to the wholesale dealers. These dealers or commission men will force 

 the prices down at their home market very often when the country 

 towns are hungry for such produce at advance prices. The .small 

 markets are worthy of careful development. 



Some of the Profits, 



There is a wide margin as to the profits to be made, and the man 

 who is back of it all is the main factor of control. I will give, as near 

 as I can, a number of examples from the gardeners adjacent to Lin- 

 coln, just good average professional gardeners, showing what they 

 reap per acre in the way of profits. One man who is rather new in 

 the business told me that he had sold $130 worth of early tomatoes 

 from about one-fourth of an acre, or from 500 plants. This was last 

 year in a time of extreme drouth, but prices went soaring. This same 

 man sold $100 worth of carrots and beets from about one-sixth of 

 an acre. They were marketed in the green state mostly, being washed 

 and tied in bunches. I have known some of our gardeners to reap as 

 high as $2.50 per acre from their early potatoes, though a fair average 

 income one year with another is around $75 per acre. 



One of our largest gardeners who has sixty-five acres devoted to 

 this work, with quite a large green house in connection for winter and 

 early spring vegetables, told me that he cleared up $5,000 from his 

 plant in the season of 1912. This last year (1913) his profits were 

 very small because of the very unfavorable season. His annual bill 

 for hired help is about $2,000, and this is about the same whether a 

 good crop or a poor crop is raised,. The labor problem is in fact one of 

 the large factors to consider. One must have competent help and 

 have it at the right time or much may be lost from the possible profits. 



The gardener who has a family of children trained and interested 

 in the garden work has a big advantage over the man who has to hire 

 all of his help from the outside. The children should be made share- 

 holders, partners if you please, in the business, and there is one of 

 the mainsprings of success in this interesting occupation. 



POTATO SITUATION IN SCOTT COUNTY', IOWA. 



G. R. Bliss, Davenport, la. 



Scott county, Iowa, has long been noted for its heavy production 

 of potatoes. It stands pre-eminent among the counties of Iowa in 

 ihe production of barley, potatoes and onions. The following reports 

 from the year book of Agriculture give an idea of the extent of the 

 potato industry. 



