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Saturday, October 11, 2014

Extension Suggests Sweet Potatoes May Prove a Good Crop for N.C. Farmers, 1922

‘Sweet Potatoes a Coming Industry’ by W.H. Barton, Farm Demonstration Agent, from the Rockingham Post-Dispatch, October 5, 1922

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.
 

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