POTATO DEVELOPMENT WORK IN WISCONSIN. 57 



potatoes Wisconsin is, but the fact is not well enough known to 

 bring about higher market prices. 



The cutover land in conjunction with the climate seems to 

 just breed quality into them. All that is needed to give them 

 individuality is advertising and proper packing for market. Do 

 you every stop to think that Rocky Ford melons were once un- 

 known ? Oregon and Washington apples considered no better than 

 those of New York State ? Why is it they command such a pre- 

 mium in every market? Simply because they have been con- 

 stantly advertised and are put up in a neat and attractive man- 

 ner. I think it is possible for the Wisconsin potato to reach the 

 same sphere of popularity. I see no reason why the potato in- 

 dustry of Wisconsin cannot, before many years, supersede lum- 

 ber as its possibilities are unlimited. Chicago alone consumes 

 approximately 12,000 cars of potatoes each year in bushels, 

 over six million. The Northwestern Road last year handled ap- 

 proximately 12,000 cars of potatoes out of Wisconsin, to which 

 add as much again of the other roads, and you can gain an ap- 

 proximate idea of the magnitude of this industry to-day. In 

 Chicago it is estimated that 1,900,000 people or about 80% of its 

 great population live in apartment or flat buildings, provided 

 with neither cellars nor other vegetable storage. The potato is 

 supplied through the family grocer without regard to quality or 

 uniformity in size and the bottom of the sack is now always a 

 disappointment to every housewife and this is true of every large 

 city. The housewife in the apartments wants her potatoes in a 

 neat and attractive package that can be placed on the pantry 

 shelf. It must have a distinctive label which guarantees quality 

 and uniformity in size for which she will be glad to pay a 

 higher price. The hotel, cafe, and dining cars demand the same. 

 The family grocer wants the attractive and distinctive package 

 which sells itself, pleases his customers and avoids him loss. Is 

 not this a field for the high quality Wisconsin potato ? It costs 

 to transfer a bushel of potatoes from Rhinelander to Milwaukee, 

 Wis., approximately 7% cents, to Chicago 9 cents, to St. Louis, 

 13 cents, Kansas City, 15 cents, Pittsburgh 15 cents, Philadel- 

 phia 21 cents, New York 22 cents. The freight on the selected 

 potato is no higher than on the indifferent or ordinary. The at- 

 tractive package, guarantee label, double value, quality and uni- 

 form size will place the Wisconsin potato not only in these 

 cities but in hundreds of new markets. 



Prior to the present extension work the promotion of the Wis- 

 consin potato was the work of a few men, pioneers in the bujlc}- 



