POTATOES IN JERSEY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1024, 16 October 1891, Page 25

POTATOES IN JERSEY.

We have on several occasions pointed out that the island ot Jersey does an enormous trade with London in the matter of early potatoes. From our latest English exchanges we gather the followingparticulars ofthetrade Jersoy has cultivated from the statistics of the past season. ‘ The cultivation of the potato in Jersey is earriod on to an extent scarcely realised by anyone who has not been over that garden island. A very largo proportion of the pasture land has in late years been turned up for the purpose, and it is practically its staple product. The season which has just closed has been a particularly favourable and remunerative one, and exceeded both in quantity and value that of any previous year. The exports of potatoes from the island have risen from 8-1,4.68 tons, of the value of L2G2.472, in 1883, to 66,840 tons, of the value of L 187.642, in 1891. The exportation this year began in the week ending May 9, when 50 tons were exported, at au average price of L 37 10s per ton, and continued for 13 week, at the end of which the price was only L 5 per ton, and the quantity 440 tons. The price of potatoes grows lees weekly, to the extent of nearly L 7 per ton for the first four weeks, aud then at a slower rate until it reaches the lowest figure, which is generally during the last three weeks of tho season. In the second week there were exported 154 tons at L3O per ton ; in tl)e third week, 300 tons, at L 22 10s per ton ; fourth week, 1580 tons, Ll 7 10s per ton; fifth week, 4-913 tons, LlO per ton ; sixth week 8585 tons, L 9 7s 6d per ton. During the seventh eighth aud ninth weeks half the produce of the island is sent away; the quantities being -e pectively 11,083, 10,725, and 12,110 tons, and the value L 6 Os lOd, L 6 Os LOd, and L 7 Is 8d per ton. After then the export begins to decline as also-dees the price. Of the 66,840 tons of potatoes shipped, 66,140 tons were in packages which numbered very nearly a million —989,127. It is out of this crop that the people pay the high rents which land fetches in Jersey, and it is interesting to note that the quantity is nearly equal to 3J tons per acre for the whole cultivated area of the island.’

It will be seen from the above report that Jersey potatoes even in a favourable season like the past one did not reach London before the first week in May and then realised L 37 10s per ton. Now, as in some parts of this Colony potatoes can be raised to reach London by Christmas, there is a wide range |from thence to May—four months without competition, during which time large quantities can bo disposed of. Even suppose they did* not fetch the price throughout that time that the Jersey grown one did in May, viz, L 37 10s, still there is tho certainty that they would not fetch less than 120 and most probably a great deal more. At those rates the potato trade will pay handsome returns.