Of the 20 highest yields in the 300 bushel clubi, the following varieties 

 were grown: 



Number of 

 Variety Growers 



Green Mountain 9 



Katahdin 7 



Chippewa 2 



Ontario 1 



There appears to be some disagreement as to the relation of cooking 

 quality and market appeal of varieties. According to a consumer survey of 

 qualities desired^, mealiness was a predominant characteristic. Experi- 

 n ents with the specific gravity test as a measure of mealiness indicated 

 (.reen Mountain to be superior to other varieties^. The shape, color, and 

 evenness of quality have given Katahdins certain market advantages, which, 

 together with resistance to leaf roll and net necrosis, have encouraged in- 

 creased production in commercial areas. The average consumer is not 

 sufficiently familiar with potato varieties to differentiate between them in 

 the buying. A survey of retailers in the state, however, did indicate a con- 

 sumer preference for Green Mountain potatoes when they had become ac- 

 customed to their use. 



MARKETS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



The commercial outlets for potatoes in New Hampshire are: retail at 

 the farm; direct sale to retail stores and institutions, wholesalers, jobbers, 

 and chip factories. The adopted method depends upon trade connections, 

 the size of the crop, and relative prices. 



The smaller acreage farms sell primarly at local stores or direct to 

 consumers. As the quantity produced increases, the wholesale jobbers, 

 chain stores, and chip factories become more important as outlets. 



In 1931, a few Merrimack County growers decided to co-ordinate 

 their sales to Cloverdale Stores. The State Farm Bureau furnished financial 

 assistance. Growers from all over the state became interested in this co- 

 operative movement and, in 1932, the Agricultural Services Inc., of the 

 Farm Bureau was organized. The function of this new agency was to act 

 as commission agent between growers and chain stores and state institutions, 

 but was not to handle or store the potatoes. Although there was no trade 

 guarantee, the buyer's ability to procure potatoes from one agent, repre- 

 senting the growers, was of great assistance to their procurement activities. 



The Agricultural Services Inc., adopted the U. S. grade standards for 

 its sales and has used a two-inch minimum for the last eight years. 



Here was an attempt to provide local markets for growers, to reduce 

 haulage distance, and to meet the competition from Maine, which previously 

 was the chief source of supply for the chain stores. 



The original membership was approximately 150 growers, but with the 

 decline in the number of growers in the state, the membership now stands 



'^1949 Annual Summary (Department of Agronomy, University of New Hampshire) 



^E. H. Rinear, Consumer Preferences for Potatoes (N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station Circular 37, 

 1931). 



2p. T. Blood and J. L. Haddock, (Variations in Cooking Qualities of Potatoes as Influences by Vatie- 

 .ties) (American Potato Journal 16 (5) ), pp. 126-134. 



