Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1882-09-07
STORING POTATOES.

AS potato harvesting will now soon be in
| order, and as the crop will probably be a
tair average one. and operations will prob
ably begin rather earlier than usual, We
offer some views upon The best mode OF
storing them. which may possibly be of ad-
vantage 10 some.
To store potatoes properly We have to
guard against heating. for although the po-
TITO viii noi absolutely termeut by heat rs
so much vegetable matter Will. Il heap be-
comes warm enough 10 excite any germ
tungn- there may tie in ,he inber. and this
exhaHtinn may he sufficient to cause a de
cay, which can hr communicated 10 roots in
which no ~ymptom nf lot exists Moisture
is favorable to heating. and hence il is best
to have THE potato thoroughly dry before
storing. if auv considerable quantity is 'e b"
pat away in bulk. Thus, if they are spread
on q barn floor ,r other cool place out of
the stin before putting into the root cellar.
thcy will be safe against rnt'ing. When
potatoes are perfectly healthy there is not
so much necessity for this care in drying.
Hundreds OF bushels are often taken at once
from the field to the cellar. without any
damage whatever resulting and it t. only
in view OF The possibility Of rot that we
think it Advisable to take ti,e extra precau-
lion in driving. 1t il we'll to note lilat
cool shed is best To dry them ill., as the
tullerS will otherwise absorb more heat Than
wnen they come our ot the ground, and this
is What we try TO avoid.
There is one disadvantage in drying po-
t,tOeS in this WAY which is Il ways more Or
less cnnnrc'ed will, dry cellars, namely. the
great loss from shrinkage which results. In
an average dry cellar there i often as much
rs Il loss of twenty per cent in hulk trom
sl,rinkage. Thus. one hundred bushels
stored away III IA place like This i'll winter
will give hut eighty when taken out for sale
il, the ring. This is often as much. and
sometimes more. than the advance in spring
over tall prices. and is an argument often
used to induce growers ~ sell their crop as
soon AZ taken up. instead t Keeping them
for the spring rise. But this loss can be
wholly avoided and the roots kept in excel
lent cou,ltion by carefully storing IN the
open ground. A dry place is 10 be selected.
where the water can run easily away. and
the POTATOES laid up in long narrow ridges.
saw about four feet wide and rs long a the
quantity to be protected demands. After
the whole has heen collected togeth' +. Il
thin lavpr of straw, only thick enough to
keep the earth from falling in among the
no at,eS. is TO be put along the sides aGd
over np t,lber<. and Il thin layer of sol just
enough to keep the straw in place. il thrown
over Ii il best not to throw more earth
than this over at tirsf, ia the natural heat OF
the potatoes will accumulate. while II Is the
object 10 let II pass rapidly away. AS soon
as thcre Il danger nf frost then the potatoes
should he covered thickly with soil. as the
frost is certain 10 penetrate. IN this WAY
the potatoes are preserved at temperature
Int little above the freezing noini. and thus
guarded against heating much. and at The
same fine there il little loss from evapnra-
tioll--a great point gained when bushel
measure is brought ont Ill the spring.
The great objection to this old-tashioned
and excellent plan is that we cannot get AT
them well in the winter season; but we are
only recommending it where they are re-
oured T., be kept over till spring. Wnere
they are needed before that time cellar Is