State Horticulturist C.D. Matthews and his corps of
assistants held in Goldsboro Sept. 27-28th a sweet potato school for
those directly or indirectly in cooperative marketing of sweet potatoes under
the North Carolina Sweet Potato Cooperative Marketing Association, now composed
of 10 counties of the State, which have been federated for marketing this
project.
About eight years ago, Mr. Matthews foresaw the
possibilities of the sweet potato as a money crop and began experimenting at
the State College of Agriculture on breeding and selecting a better, more
uniform type from each of the two most popular varieties, vis Porto Ricos and
Nancy Halls. By selection of seed potatoes in the field for uniformity of type,
size, quality and production, these varieties have been greatly improved. Eight
years ago, these varieties graded only about 50 percent first grade marketable
potatoes. Now they grade as high as 85 percent to 95 percent No. 1 marketable
stock.
Distribution
The North Carolina Potato Federation will contract with one
of the biggest sales agencies in the United States to distribute potatoes to
the outside world on a basis of about 7 ½ cents per bushel, taken f.o.b. the
potato warehouses. This sales organization has representatives in all the
markets of the United States and have over 10,000 car lot customers to which
they are adding annually.
Plan of Organization
Grower members each sign a five-year contract to pay $10 on
common stock. Preferred stock is then sold to raise the balance of capital
necessary to build and operate the curing warehouse. Under this contract the
preferred stock is retired in five equal annual installments, and each member
of the association is issued common stock in lieu thereof to the amount of his
pro rata of potatoes marketed through the association. This method of financing
makes it possible to build a curing warehouse cooperatively in the poorest
community. This preferred stock pays 8 percent dividend and there is no reason
why lenders should not readily invest in it.
No Fortune
There is not a fortune claimed for this industry, but it
certainly should pay better than cotton under weevil conditions. U.S. No. 1
grade has been bringing as high as $2.50 per crate of one bushel on foreign
markets, and such markets are not half supplied. Of course this price will be
lowered as the product increases, but $1 per bushel will pay.
Ideal Soil
The sandhill soil is the ideal soil for production of a high
quality of marketable sweet potato. Properly fertilized and planted not over 12
inches apart in the row, they produce the highest percentage of even-running,
medium size potatoes that grade No. 1
Why Potatoes Have Sold at a Low Price Elsewhere
Carelessness in grading and packing has and will continue to
injure sales of sweet potatoes as such methods injury sales of other products.
The North Carolina Association has a very strict contract,
and every crate of potatoes delivered to the association will be re-graded
before shipment by the manager, and if not up to grade, the grower, of course,
loses the potatoes rejected in the second or final grading. No man, therefore,
can injure the reputation of the organization by putting an inferior product on
the market.
All potatoes will be sold under the brand “Carolina Sugar
Sweets—the sweet potato.”
Potatoes carelessly graded have failed to sell at any price.
However, when the same potatoes were graded up to standard, they sold readily
at $2.50 per crate of 1 bushel.
Think this matter over. You’ll soon have an opportunity to
accept or reject this proposition.
No comments:
Post a Comment