creased competition in quality, size, and packages and offer valuable advice 

 on grading and handling of potatoes in order to meet the growing refinements 

 in marketing practices. 



PRODUCTION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



The proportion of New Hampshire farm income derived from potatoes 

 has declined from an approximate 4 per cent in 1924 to less than 2 per cent 

 in 1948. Acreage in potatoes declined from 1930 to 1940, increased some- 

 what by 1945 due to war-time expansion programs, then declined rapidly 

 to an estimated 3800 acres in 1950. 



Table 1. Potato Acreage for 1930, 1940, and 1945 in New Hampshire by 



Counties^ 



County 1930 1940 1945 1949 1950 



Total 7179 6152 7111 4300^ 3800» 



^Agricultural Census, (U. S. Census Bureau.) 



^Crop Production (U. S. Department oi Agriculture Annual Summary, 1949), p. 92. 



^Acreage for Harvest (Crop Production, July 1, 1950, U. S. Department of Agriculture), p. 71. 



Yields per acre for the state in 1949 averaged 225 bushels per acre 

 as compared with 160 bushels per acre for the 1938-47 period. The total 

 acreage as here compiled includes both growers who produce for home use 

 and those who produce for sale. 



Assuming that commercial growers have three or more acres planted 

 to potatoes, the acreage devoted to potatoes for trade and off-farm con- 

 sumption is greatly reduced from the total. For purposes of market analysis, 

 attention will be directed only to those potatoes moving in trade. In 1949, 

 such acreage was 2384 with an estimated production of 820,000 bushels. 

 The location of this acreage is indicated on Map No. 1 and Table 2. 



Between counties there are certain interesting trends. In the northern 

 part of New Hampshire, Coos and Merrimack Counties have shown the 

 greatest acreage decline since 1930, while in the southern sections of the 

 state, increases are apparent in Cheshire, Hillsborough, and Rockingham 

 Counties. 



