The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-10-04
Storing Potatoes.

As potato harvesting will now be
in order, and as the crop will prob
ably be fair average one. and OPP
erations will probably begin rather
earlier than usual, we offer some
views upon the best mode of stor-
ing them, which may possibly be OF
advantage to some.
To store potatoes properly we
have TO guard against heating, tor
although the potato will not abso-
lutely ferment By neat as so much
vegetable matter will, a heap be-
comes warm enough TO excite any
gerniungus there may be III the tu-
Der, and this exhalation may be suf-
ficient to cause decay, which can
be communicated to Isots in which
no symptom of rot exists. Moist
ure is favorable to heating, and
hence it is best to have the potato
thoroughly dry before storing, if any
considerable quantity is to be put
away in bulk. Thus, if they are
spread on a barn floor or other cool
place out of the sun before putting
into the root cellar, they will be safe
against rotting. When potatoes are
perfectly healthy there is not so
much necessity for this care in dry
ing. Hundreds of bushels are often
taken at once from the field to the
cellar without any damage whatever
resulting; and it is only in view of
the possibility of rot that we think
it advisable to take the extra pre-
caution in drying. 1t is well to note
that cool shed is best to dry them
in, as the tubers will otherwise alb
sorb more heat than when they come
out of the ground, and this is what
we try to avoid
There is one disadvantage in dry
ing potatoes in this way which is al
ways more or less connected with
dry cellars, namely, the great loss
from shrinkage which results. In
an average dry cellar there is often
as much as "a loss of twenty per
cent. in bulk from shrinkage. Thus,
one hundred bushels stored away in
a place like this in winter will give
but eighty when taken out for sale in
spring. This is often as much, and
sometimes more, than the advance
in spring over fall prices, and is an
argument often used to induce grow
ers TO sell their crop as soon as TAX
en- up, instead of keeping them for
the spring rise. But this loss can
be wholly avoided and the roots
kept in excellent condition by care
fully storing in the open ground. A
/ dry place Is to be selected, where the
water can run easily away, and the
potatoes laid up in long narrow
ridges, say about four feet wide and
as long rs the quantity to be pro-
tected demands. After the whole
has been collected together, thin
layer Of straw, only thick enough to
keep the earth from falling i'll among
the potatoes, Is to be put along the
sides and over the tubers, and thin
layer of soil, Just enough to keep
the straw in place, is thrown over.
It's best not To throw more earth
than this over at first, as the natu-
raj heat of the potatoes will accu-
mulate. while it is tie object to let
it pass rapidly away. As soon as
there is danger of frost then tie pO-
tatoes should be covered thickly
with soil, as the frost is certain to
penetrate. In this way the potatoes
are preserved at a temperature but
little above the freezing point, and
thus guarded against heating much.
and at the same time there is little
loss from evaporation great point
gained when the bushel measure is
brought out in the spring.
The great objection to this old
fashioned and excellent plan is that
we cannot get at them well in the
winter season; but we are only re-
commending it where they are re-
quired to be kept over till spring.
Where they are needed before that
time a cellar is almostindispensable. |
Another objection is the extra labor !
which open air banking takes. Per-
haps the saving of ten or twenty per
cent may be a fair set off to this;
but at any rate those vino have good /
root cellars will generally run the /
risk in preference to the labor of the /
open ground. But we have referred .
to the excellenceo of the plan because /
some have no good root cellars, and .
others who have may vet fear rot .
and be glad to take the best precau-
tions to guard against accident Only I
those, however, which are apparent /
ly sound should be chosen for the /
out door practice, for those which /
are certainly diseased will be better
preserved by an occasional sorting
over during the winter season.
GeTmdRtOaUR TSleGrGDh.