Show commercial POTATO CROP CRO HARVESTED BY USE OF DIGGER SORT AND SACK IN FIELD ca N W 1 0 CIS A horse drawn potato digger in operation y repaired by tho united states department ot of t uro where nil early terly crop Is grown tho the date of harvesting Is largely governed by market conditions it if the price la Is high a crop may inay often bo be harvested profitably when it Is or two thirds grown whereas if prices tire low it la in generally to allow tile tu hers to reach full development before they ore are lug dug in the ho case of into varieties destined for winter consumption it Is the usuna practice to delay liar bar vesting is as long as it Is safe to do so without running unnecessary risk of freezing the tubers use uie elevator digger with few exceptions tho the potato crop la Is harvested with nn nil elevator digger drawn by horses when the crop Is sold bold from the field it Is a common practice to sort and sack back tile potatoes ns As they are picked up the sorting or grading of potatoes in the field Is most economically done by using a potato grader of tile the shaker or belt type these graders aro are mounted upon a wooden sled and tire hauled along by a horse tho sorter lias has two screens arranged ono one above tho the other tho the diameter of tho the openings in tho the upper tipper screen in somo some graders la Is 1 inches and in others 2 inches while tho the lower one way may havo have openings any where from 32 to 14 indies inches in botor somo some makes of graders or have wire mesh screens with square openings while others have cir culat or oblong openings with circular ends enda pickers and sorters three pickers usually work ono one sorter each taking a row tile tho potatoes are picked into wire alro or splint baskets having a bull ball handle and its as tile baskets ure filled they are dumped on the upper part of tho the top screen and then shaken down tho the large po passing over tho the top screen aro are diverted into ono one sack and those pass lug ing through tho the upper screen and ovet tile the lower go into another sack one man drives tho the horse and operates tile tha sorter wello another sews the sacks sack and assists in loading tle the wagons ono one digger with the necessary creo cre of men and teams con can harvest front from three to four acres a day |