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Show THE STORAGE OF POTATOES It is of great importance that all the potatoes raised this year should be stored under proper conditions. Even when every precaution is taken the wastage of potatoes during the .. 'winter is considerable: under bad conditions of storage it is very great indeed. In order that the best methods may be adopted by the small growers those who have not had the experience experi-ence .in the storage of potatoes, should know the chief causes of the wastage. These causes are: (1) Sweating, heating and consequent conse-quent rot: often due to insufficient ventilation. . (2) Rotting: due to potatoes getting get-ting wet at the time of putting them in storage. (3) injury 'from frost. (4) Decay: owing to disease in the tubers at the time of storage. (5) Sprouting of tubers in the Spring. It is not possible to prevent altogether alto-gether losses from these causes, but by using the best methods of storage, stor-age, It is possible to reduce them very materially. - This may be done by taking care to guard against iosses from each of these causes: (1) Sweating and heating occur If the freshly dug potatoes are piled in too large piles, so that the air cannot circulate between the tubers. The risk of loss from this cause is greatest in the fall, immediately after af-ter the tubers have been dug, and it is, therefore, Important that potatoes when dug should not be put in unnecessarily un-necessarily large piles, nor kept In an ill-ventilated room. (2) Rotting from getting the po- laioes.- wei. il lue poiaiues ai, me digging time are allowed to get wet and to go into storage in that condition, condi-tion, rotting is sure to occur. Be careful to have your potatoes dry before storing. (3) Injury from frost. Potatoes are easily damaged by frost. If they become frozen, their market value is destroyed. Therefore, take evory precaution to protect the tubers from frost before and after digging. (4) Disease. There are several diseases of the potato which destroy the tuber, and if diseased tubers are mixed with the sound ones, the disease dis-ease spreads rapidly; therefore, it is necessary to sort the potatoes carefully, care-fully, eliminating all of the disease, the cuts, the culls, and dirt before placing them into permanent storage stor-age for the winter. All of the cuts, culls, misshapen and diseased tuberB should be fed to the poultry and live stock, but should be steamed or boiled before being fed, as in this way you increase the food value, and also destroy the germs of the disease, dis-ease, so that it will not get into the manure and thence into the land. (5) By propor ventilation of the Cellar or storage room, and by holding hold-ing the temperature as near 35 degrees de-grees F. as possible, you can keep the potatoes from sprouting. Selection of Seed. Seed for next year's planting should be selected from hills that produce all nice, true to type potatoes. These should bo selected at the digging time, and stored separately in crates or boxes, and by storing them In a well-lighted room where the temperature can be held at from 3 4 to 4 0 degrees, with a little ventilation and this seed planted next Spring, the grower will make a start toward improving the quality of his potatoes, Instead of as In the past, Blmply planting the culls or runouts. By Lou D. Sweet, Head of Potato Division, U. S. Food Administration. |