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Show I STORING POTATOES IN PITS By P. Q. HOLDEN. w OTATOES may be stored in pits, out of doors, successfully if the pita I J are provided with good drainage and ventilation and the potatoes ure I given such covering as will protect them frdm external heat and cold. For such a pit a well-drained site, or one which can be easily drained, is the first essential. In depth the excavation may be anywhere from practically nothing to two or m'ore feet, but It is generally best not to excavate more than six inches. The pit should be long and narrow, as shown In figure 2. The size of the pit, to a certain extent, must depend upon the quantity of potatoes to be stored, but too large a quantity should never be stored in one pit. In preparing the pit a light layer of straw should be placed on the floor to keep the potatoes from coming In direct contact with the soil, and soma fjg.ross section of potato" pTT showing layers of 5tj2aw and soil.. I; provision should be made for ventilation to permit the evaporation of such moisture as may rise from the potatoes. ; The potatoes should be piled in a ridge, in the shape of an inverted V, as shown In figure 1. This will expose n greater area of the pile to the circulation circula-tion of air and will shed rain much better. Covering the Potatoes. To protect the potatoes from cold and heat, they should be covered with alternate layers of straw or hay and soil. The flrst'layer should be straw or hay; the second should bo Just sufficient 6011 to prevent Injury to the" potatoes by light or frost. This will quickly cool off the potatoes and free them from the moisture resulting from the sweating process. As the temperature lowers, more hay or straw and another layer of soil should bo added. The two layers of straw and two of soil will be sufficient protection except ex-cept where the temperature drops to 20 degrees below zero, or lower, when an extra layer of each will be necessary. When pressed down, each layer of straw should be about six Inches thick and the top layer of soil may be from six to eight inches deep, according to the amount of rain or snow that may bo ! expected during the period the potatoes are to remain in storage. 1 Excellent ventilation may be furnished by a wooden flue, as shown in figure 1. The lower end of the flue should extend nearly to tho bottom of tho pit and' the upper end should project above the top layer of soil. The flue should have a wooden cap to keep out the rain and snow, but It should be so constructed that, during extremely cold weather, It can be closed tightly. ) While potatoes stored In such a pit are not readily accessible during ) i winter, they will keep in almost perfect condition until spring, if careful ntten- tion is given to the proper construction and protection of the pit. V l i |