POTATO DEVELOPMENT WORK IN WISCONSIN. 51 



Wisconsin loading stations this would mean that our price would 

 be. 75c delivered Kansas City or other Missouri Eiver points, and 

 one might at first thought conclude that if Idaho was quoting at 

 a basis of 45c f . o. b. or 75c delivered that we might secure a fair 

 share of the business in competition with them, yet this is not the 

 case, for the Idaho potatoes, will, at present, command a premi- 

 um of from five to eight, or even ten cents per bushel. 



To-day our price delivered New York City based on 60c Wis- 

 consin would be 82c per bushel and to-day the market in New 

 York City is in such shape that if we had a bright, medium sized 

 round white potato, which the New York market requires, we 

 might secure considerable business there, yet, because of the fact 

 that New York City does not like the potatoes that we can ship, 

 and will not pay as much for them as she will for Maine potatoes, 

 we are kept out of that territory except at such times as our 

 prices are under Maine goods ; and these same conditions prevail 

 always in sections with which we must compete with either of 

 the two above mentioned districts. 



Now there are numerous samples on exhibition here to-day 

 which would find a ready sale both West and East. If the aver- 

 age production of Wisconsin quality was represented by these 

 samples it would mean a territory 15% to 20% larger for the 

 sale of Wisconsin potatoes and that we can easily do this is 

 clearly shown by these samples. What must be done is to show 

 the growers generally the great improvement it is possible for 

 them to make in both yield as well as quality by the careful selec- 

 tion of seed, and I feel that the work which your Agricultural 

 Station is doing will practically insure a growing demand from a 

 wider territory for potatoes grown in this State. 



I feel that we shippers are in a measure to blame for the qual- 

 ity of potatoes that we ship from Wisconsin. As a rule we do not 

 sort them carefully enough; competition is so strong that our 

 men at loading stations will tell us that if they sort closely the 

 grower will sell to some one else. On the other hand I have been 

 asked why it is that if a farmer does grow better potatoes than 

 his neighbor he cannot get more money for them. This is in the 

 main because there have not been enough potatoes of superior 

 quality grown to enable the shipper to reach out and secure some 

 customer who is willing to pay a premium for them, for the rea- 

 son that if we furnish him with one car exceptionally choice, he 

 expects another like it, and the chances are we are unable to fur- 



