Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-10-19
Harvesting and storing Potatoes.

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not lA*Se. There is short crop IN
Europe and every indication tends
towards nigh prices. Hence it will stand
farmers ia hand to carefully save every
merchandise potato.
Potatoes SHOULD never be dug except
when the soil is in such condition that
it will not adhere to the tubers. They
should lie in the air long enough to be-
come dry, bu. never 10 ng enough to
wilt. Two hours is enough in any dry
day, and often one hour Is sufficient
Never pick up the large and small
together. Take the merchsntable po-
tatoes first, put them in pile and then
pick up the small ones, putting them
in another pile. Keep TIE piles covered
so the potatoes cannot become heated
by the sun. Potato typs are good, but
clean slough hay is better. Cover every
night, or before rain, with earth suifi.
cient to ssvc'them. They may thus re-
main until late in the season, or until
it is time to put them in the cellar.
If the crop is to be sold ipkhe fall the
sooner it is marketed the better. Pota-
toes will shrink ten per cent. in weight
in q month and often twenty. i've per
cent. before spring Hence, as rule, the
farmer makes more monev selling his
potatoes directly from the field than by
keeping them over winter. If they are
to be saved for spring it is altogether
better. So lar ~ shrinkags is concerned
that they be kept in pits or piles,
rather than in cellar. There is no
danger Of freezing il they are property
covered Our plan is as follows:
Selecting dry piece of ground, dig a
pit eighteen inches deep. three feet
wide, and as long as may be necessary.
Line the bottom and sides with long
straw or slough hay, throw in the pota-
toes, pile them above .he surface as
high III they vii! lie, cover with straw,
and then with eight inches of earth
Just before cold weather comes on lay
over another covering of straw not less
than six inches thick and over this
again cover with eight inches of earth.
We never had crop thus treated
freeze in the coolest winters, though it
is a good precaution to cover the whole
with horse manure after steady freez-
ing weather comes, especially since
this costs nothing. the manure being
left on the land. IL you prefer not to
dig below the surface they may be kept
quite rs safely on the surface, though
not so economically.
Why we have advised that the large
and small potatoes be sorted from each
other is that one uniform lot of pota-
toes will sell for more than large and
small together, and also will measure
about rs much with the small ones out
as with them in. We used always to
sort in three lots-large, medium and
culls. We never had any difficulty in
selling the medium-sized potatoes, for
many grocers prefer them. They are
finer in quality and sounder through
than overgrown ones.-Prairie Farmer.
1t is advisable to dig potatoes before
the heavyifall rains occur. 1.-THE ground
is muddy the potatoes cannot be taken
out Of it in clean condition. The soft
dirt will remain on them and greatly
ipjure their appearance. Potatoes tina,
are dirty can not be marketed TO good
advantage and are in bad state tc
handle at home. Still, it is not good
plan to harvest potatoes till near the
time when the fall rains generally occur.
While the weather is quito warm they
will keep better in the ground, where
they grew, than in any place that ls
available for storing them. Potatoes
should be exposed to the action of the
ohnrt a nnsp,hln off IN
they are dug. The sunlight affects
them unfavorably, and if they are ex-
posed to it for a long time their value
for table purposes is completely de-
stroyed. All have noticed that tubers
from which the dirt has been washed
away are green in color and that they
have disagreeable taste. They are
poisonous when eaten.- Western Rural.
When very large quantities of pota-
toes have to be stored for short time
or even during the entire winter, out
door pits may be resorted to, but for
convenience ofhandliug and the facility
with which they are accessible at any
season, good cellar is worth more
than the best of pits. A potato cellar
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is entirely dry al all times, that frost
and light can be excluded completely
and that perfect ventilation of every
part can be given rapidly, sufficient to
keep the air pure and the tempera-
ture as low as possible without falling
below the freezing point. Although
potatoes do not become spoiled by a
few degrees Of cold, especially when
they are dry, their eating quality as
well as their terminating power do GER
tainly deteriorate when exposed to a
tenn peraturc below thirty degrees. In
cellars not entirely frost proof the
heaps should be covered completely
with old carpets o. mating and those
with six inches of straw or hay. Such
a protection will afford safety against
almost any amount Of cold possible in
a cellar. When the weather becomes
warmer, the windows and doors should
be kept closed in day time and opened
during night. -E1chan9e.
If you have dry, well ventilated
cellar of sufficient size you can scarce
ly do better than to store them there.
1t is an advantage however, to put
isem in large shallow bins made with
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