On 1/28/04 (2:31:42 PM MST), as part of a posting to NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com, Nancy Coleman (NLColeman@worldnet.att.net) wrote, "Twelfth for potatoes (I think we used to be second behind Idaho until a blight hit the Long Island crops about 35? years ago - Walter, when was that?). First, you forgot to mention that Suffolk County is the number 1 county in New York in agriculture receipts. Second, on potatoes: the blight -- developers and their sub-divisions -- began the destruction of what had been potato fields in the mid-1950s, as the new national highway system made it cheaper to ship potatoes from farther away areas into the NYC area putting downward pressure on locally grown potatoes and demand for suburban housing bid up the price of land away from potatoes. As a bulk commodity, potatoes had been too expensive to do that prior to the Interstate highway system. Additionally, people's taste changed, preferring the russet as grown in Idaho and Washington over the katahdin (named after Mount Katahdin in Maine) as grown along the East Coast. By the way: the potato and tomato have the same ending because they came from the same area: the Peruvian Andes, and the potato was worth more than all the gold that the conquistadors stole from South America. I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Walter Greenspan

Dear Walter: It is useful and interesting. Yes, sub-divisions and highways are a blight. But, there really was a biological type of blight that effected the potatoe crops out east for a couple of years running. It last reared its ugly head about 1994 and is a close cousin to the blight that wiped out Ireland in the late 1840s. Phytophthora infestans. Commonly called late blight. Our US potato crops were almost as wiped out as Ireland's during the same period, by the same blight. Farther out (north and south forks primarily is how I remember it) from the middle island development and much later than the 50's is what I was talking about. At that point I guess you could say "what was left of the Long Island potato farms..." If I remember correctly, Newsday had a story all about it awhile back (a few years ago at least) with an article about how the wine industry and how the agri-entrepreneurs (vineyards as well as nursery stock farms) had at least saved much of the land from the developers and had kept it as agri-business before the ecomomic building boom of the 80's. The US potato industry has suffered several periods of fungal blight infestation or diseases of rot of one type or another. One big one was back in early 40's. This is cited as being one of the events that began the wholesale spraying of DDT and other pesticides and fungicides on Long Island, continuing through the 50's and 60's. The effects have been studied for a decade due to the high clusters of breast cancer. Nassau farms were hit with golden nematode infestations in the 1940's (first discovered on a potato farm in Hicksville in July 1941) and there's no telling how this effected urban sprall. In 1944 NYS quaranteened portions of Nassau and Suffolk County to stop the spread of the golden nematode. In 1945, Levitt & Sons begin buying golden nematode infested potato farms for low cost housing on Long Island. Anyway, today there are very few potato farmers left and primarily in Riverhead and Southold Towns from what I can gather. I think maybe one or two are left in St. James or nearby. Ironically almost all of the potatoes grown here, leave here and are not sold in the markets on Long Island. To compete, the farmers have joined a large coop and they ship out their crops to other markets, including Canada. Potatoes and ducks, oh where have they gone? ??? Back to grapes... They (the vineyards) are celebrating their 30th Anniversary out there this year by the way. I was out there last weekend and visited many of the oldest (Hargrave which is now Borghese opened in 1973). Gorgeous winter Sunday drive... no traffic! Another interesting side story: Marco Borghese told us that many of the current day vintners have deeded the development rights to the Town so that if a particular farm is sold, the decision to develop the land for housing tracts is a non issue because whoever the buyer would be would not be granted those rights. They would remain with the town in perpetuity. Anyway, I remember the article distinctly as talking about the nature of the blight and that biologically it was about as close as you get to the variety that wiped out Ireland's crops in the late 1840's. It also discussed the root stock the vintners were using to reduce the effect of another organism that had effected other US vineyards. Unfortunately I don't see a comprehensive archive of old Newsday issues online. I wish I had saved it! But, I found a whole bunch of other online resources. One that everyone may get a kick out of is: http://tuckertaters.com/p_chronology_nov23.pdf Potatoes have a more comprehensive history than most families I research! Anyway, I thought you might have recalled the article Walter. You're such a Newday-o-phile! :) Man, if you guys haven't seen Riverhead in awhile, hold on to your hats! Talk about a building and commercial boom... Unbelievable. Best regards. Nancy. Nancy Coleman NLColeman@worldnet.att.net Professional NYC & LI Research Services www.GenealogyPro.com/ncoleman.html ncroots@worldnet.att.net Coordinator, Nassau County GenExchange http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?state=ny&county=nassau List Administrator, LI-Rooters http://www.genexchange.org/MailListForm.cfm?cat=NY ----- Original Message ----- From: <Soyamaven@aol.com> To: <NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 4:49 PM Subject: [NY-LONGISLAND] Montauk, Long Island, New York? > > On 1/28/04 (2:31:42 PM MST), as part of a posting to > NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com, Nancy Coleman (NLColeman@worldnet.att.net) wrote, > > "Twelfth for potatoes (I think we used to be second behind Idaho until a > blight hit the > Long Island crops about 35? years ago - Walter, when was that?). > > > First, you forgot to mention that Suffolk County is the number 1 county in > New York in agriculture receipts. > > Second, on potatoes: the blight -- developers and their sub-divisions -- > began the destruction of what had been potato fields in the mid-1950s, as the new > national highway system made it cheaper to ship potatoes from farther away > areas into the NYC area putting downward pressure on locally grown potatoes and > demand for suburban housing bid up the price of land away from potatoes. As a > bulk commodity, potatoes had been too expensive to do that prior to the > Interstate highway system. Additionally, people's taste changed, preferring the > russet as grown in Idaho and Washington over the katahdin (named after Mount > Katahdin in Maine) as grown along the East Coast. > > By the way: the potato and tomato have the same ending because they came > from the same area: the Peruvian Andes, and the potato was worth more than all > the gold that the conquistadors stole from South America. > > > I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. > > Walter Greenspan > > > ==== NY-LONGISLAND Mailing List ==== > Karima, List Administrator mailto:NY-LONGISLAND-admin@rootsweb.com > List Guidelines: http://userweb.springnet1.com/quest/LongIslandWelcome.html >