Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-14

HOW TO KEEP SWEET PoTA,

and treating sweet potatoes, so as to keep
them the year round. It is now too late
to gather and dry the old leaves, but new
leaves might be gathered in q time to be
used, and they could be thoroughly dried
on the kilns used for drying fruits. 1t
strikes us that straws would answer a
very good purpose for packing. 1t would
be worth while to try an experiment with
new leaves thoroughly dried and also with
good dry straw. The correspondent of
the Maryland Farmer says:
In the early part of summer, gather
leaves from the woods, old leaves that
have lain upon the ground during the
winter, and spread them in the sun to
dry. After Thea are dried. place them in
dry room for keeping until the time ar
rives for packing the potatoes.
Have barrels ready to pack them into,
cover the bottom of barrel inside with
les.yes one inch deep, then lay in the po-
tsioes carefully on top of the leaves,
packing them closely together, then put a
layer of leaves, enough to cover them,
and then layer of pois .oes-and so con-
tinue with alternate layers until the bar
rel is filed. A a
After they are packed the barrels may
be placed in rotation of tiers about the
room ia which they are to be kept. The
barrels may be set on top of each other
(or over each other,) by laying pieces
across the top of the barrels, six inches
high, and laying boards on top of pieces,
TO set the barrels on. The space between
the barrels will make it convenient for
taking out the potatoes as needed, and
will give ventilation to each barrel,
as the potatoes must be uncovered at the
top of tie barrel, for the heated air to
escape. 500
They must not be closed at the top, or
they will rot. Immediately have fire
made in the room where the potatoes are
to be kept, and the stove should set in
the middle of the floor of the room, or
near it as possible. l know of many
sweet potato growers who keep them
from October up to the middle of April,
in chamber over the kitchen, by heating
the room with connecting pipe from the
stove into drum in the chamber, which
is good way, when a room can be had
for the purpose, and can be made sufl-
GENTLY warm thereby.
The room should not be exposed to too
much light; have it darkened with cur
tains at the windows, and it would be
preferable not to keep them in room that
has windows on the north and west sides
Of the room.
The temperature of the room should be
from seventy five to eighty degrees, for at
least ten days after being packed, so as to
keep them warm, to dry in the usual
sweating process for, should the room
be cool Though not feel chilly, they will
become damp and wet, and being kept in
this chilled, cold, wet state, they will not
keep.
During the time of sweating, the room
must have air; have window raised in
the day time; the curtain at the window
should be rolled up, as it is not so I'M
portant to keep the room darkened during
the time of the usual sweating process,
but after the time of sweating expires,
then it is best to keep the room dark, or
with not too much light After ten days
expires (the time allowed for sweating,
and at the temperature mentioned), then
it becomes important to keep them at
uniform temperature, as they are very
sensitive to frost. From ffty-fve to
sixty degrees is about the proper tempers-
ture, bower than forty degrees they will
not bear without injury.
The time for keeping sweet potatoes in
a warm room generally expires about the
middle of April, but they can be kept and
be good up to the first of October, when
the new crop takes the place of the old,
by proper treatment, VIZ:
About the third week of April remove
the barrels of potatoes from the warm
room to a cool dry room, on the north side
of the house, and place the barrels in the
north side of the room. The room must
be cool in which they are kept, for if
kept in warm room during the warm
months, the potatoes will sprout and
eventually have dry white streaks through
them, and in consequence are not good.
But when kept in cool dry room, as |
have stated, have had them to keep
good up to the first of October, which is
the whole year round.
NoTE.-The leaves keep the potatoes
warm and dry, and from shrinking, and
with bright color. With my experience
of keeping sweet potatoes, l know of
nothing TO preserve them in such good
condition IS old leaves thoroughly dry.
1t is natural with potatoes TO be in the
dark, for the reason they are grown so in
the ground. A few barrels of sweet po-
tatoes packed in leaves may be kept in
good warm kitchen for family use, until
the middle of April. .
IA Market Gardener" contributes the
following to the Germantown. (Pa.) Tel
egrdph:
1t is very desirable to have the sweet
potato crop mature as early in the fall as
possible, as they are better and more apt
to keep we'll To fit them for preserva-
ton, they must be lifted before the
weather indicates a degree of cold sufti-
cient tc freeze the ground, in this lati-
tude, before the 18th of October. Those
intended for winter storage should be
gathered before any frost willis the vines,
or about the last of September or the first
of October, aut up in barrels or shallow
boxes, and placed in dry, warm situa-
ton.
When placed in barrels in the open
field, carefully handled, they will be more
readily preserved during winter, other
circumstances being more favorable
slight bruising from rough carriage prov
ing injurious to them, if designed for
winter use. When large quantities are
reserved for spring sales, houses are erect
ed expressly for their protection. These
are two stories high, built of wood, and
so arranged that the potatoes may be
stored therein in boxes about two feet
deep, placed in tiers, with space or q
few inches between for ventilation, and
extending from side to side of the house
to within foot of the Misunderstanding.
The boxes are framed together at the
ends with keys, to be taken apart when
not in use.
The source of heat is fire in the Gel
lar, from which the warmth is caused to
circulate equally and freely throughout
the building Thus arranged and care
fully tended, maintaining nearly uni
form moderate heat, sweet potatoes may
be preserved until late in the following
spring. No chaff, shavings or other ma
terial is needed; careful packing and
handling and uniform moderate heat, or
Kept in an even temperature and not too
low-ssy from fifty-fiVe to sixty-five de-
grees-being the only requisites for the
attainment of perfect success in the pres
ervation, for the entire season, of this
admirable root.
DIGGING AND STORING POTA-
TOES.
The following article from the Ohio
Farmer in regard to the Irish potato