Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-09-30
4spartnlsllt.
storing Potatoes.

AS most farmers i0ilOW Jneir pO
tato crop with winter grain, is nee
essary that they should all be dug as
early in the month as possible; and
as at this hurried season but lew
comparatively can be marketed as
soon as dug, the consideration OF the
best places for, and manner OF stor-
ing them demands our attention.
Where they can certainly be sold be-
fore freezing weather, it is generally
much easier to store them on barn
floor or in some other out-building,
but in that case they should be pro
tected from the light by covering
of boards or old carpet, or they will
be injured by the exposure.
If they are to be stored in cellar,
. it must be either naturally dry or
made so by proper drainage~Th
potatoes ought also to be dry when
put into it, that is, they should lay
for an hour or two, at least, after dig
ging before they are carted to the
cellar. 1t makes them cleaner,
of course, to knock all the dirt off of
them when picking them up, and
keep that which settles to the wagon
+ floor from going in with them; but
they will keep better in the bin, if
these precautions are not taken, and
a considerable of dry earth is allow
ed to go in with them. SCI
1t is the general practice to dump
potatoes upon the floor and against
the sides of the cellar with nothing
between them and the damp walls.
They will undoubtedly keep better
and be less liable to decay, if wood
en- bins are provided to raise them
few inches from the floor and re-
move from them the walls of the eel
lar. Where one is troubled with po-
tatoes rotting in the bin, it would be
well to try this method.
There are many applications rec.
ommended to be made to potatoes at
the time of storing in the bin to pre-
vent decay. Among these may be
mentioned that of lime, one bushel
to every forty of potatoes, sprinkled
on every six or seven inches in
depth of the bin, which, it is said,
will keep them sound and fresh for
two years, but for the truth of this I
Cannot vouch. Two quarts of salt
sprinkled on for every three bushels
of potatoes is also recommended as
preventive of rot, and another
method is to dust with mixture of
one fourth Stacked lime and three
fourths ashes.
In some cases it is necessary to |
bury them in out. door pits, and for |
these the dryest situation obtainable |
should be selected, and unless well |
drained by nature, drain should be
constructed all around the pit at
distance of one or two feet from the
outside, Ito give space for covering
the potatoes, and foot lower at |
the bottom; or they may be dug just
at the sides and filled with stones,
etc. The pit is best dug one foot in
depth, from four to six wide, and as
long es may be required, with occa-
sional partitions of earth about one
foot in thickness across it. After
this has been filled and the potatoes
piled up in an A shaped ridge upon
t, it should be covered with straw
about one foot in thickness, and over
his roof of old boards.
Upon the approach of hard freez-
ng weather, they will need a cover
ng Of earth thick enough to exclude
I'll frost, taking care however to pro.
7ide ventilators by bringing the
traw up through the earth at inter-
7als along the ridge. This may not
'e necessary, however, if they have
'een in the pit long enough to get
'ver the Sweating" process before '
;overing of earth is required. If
hese pits are properly constructed,
he potatoes will keep as well or bet
er than in the cellar, the only objec-
ion to them being the amount of la.
'or required to build them.-Rural
american.