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harvest, better care during the winter; and less was fed to 

 livestock. 



By January 1, 1943 there was nothing in the statistics of 

 merchantable stocks held by growers, local dealers, and buy- 

 ers to indicate that anything unusual would occur. For the 

 thirty late states January stocks were only 2 per cent less 

 than for January 1942. 



During the fall, winter, and spring seasons of 1941-2 po- 

 tato consumption was rather stable at about a third of a 

 pound per person per day. This is equivalent to about a me- 

 dium-sized potato. During the fall of 1942 consumption rose 

 to almost 0.4 pound. Therefore there was only about a third 

 of a pound available daily per person for the 1943 spring 

 consumption. On a per capita basis, the 1942 fall consump- 

 tion was 15 per cent greater than a year earlier, whereas the 

 amount of old potatoes available during the spring of 1943 

 was 3 per cent less. 



During January and February 1943 the ceiling prices con- 

 tinued and presumably consumption was maintained at 

 about the preceding high level. About the first of March 

 1943 the rationing of canned and dried vegetables began. It 

 would not be unreasonable to assume that in order to con- 

 serve their supplies and their coupons, folks increased their 

 consumption of "cheap," old-crop potatoes. On March 15 

 there was about a quarter of a pound per person per day for 

 the remainder of the spring season. The low ceiling prices 

 and the rationing of processed vegetables were accompanied 

 by high and increasing consumption of potatoes, followed by 

 very high black-market prices and decreasing consumption. 

 What happened to the consumption of potatoes after March 

 15, 1943 is a matter of conjecture. With the mounting prices, 

 potato consumption for the last sixteen days of March prob- 

 ably declined to about normal. This would have left about 

 one month's consumption for the following forty-five days. 



