Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-10-28
Harvesting Potatoes.


continue to dig, gather, and store pota-
toes in the manner practiced by thelr
ancestors. Labor. saving machinery
has done but little in the matter of har-
vesting potatoes. Several diggers have
been introduced that do good work, but
many circumstances prevent their gen
eral introduction. All of them are quite
expensive, and farmers who raise but
small patches of potatoes can not afford
TO purchase them. 1t is difficult to con-
struct potato-digger that will be
adapted to all kinds of soil. One that
is great success in soil that is chiefly
composed of sand may prove to be a
complete failure in soil that contains
much clay. No pOtato-digger works
well in ground that is quite moist. 1t
is hard to construct one that will dig
all kinds of potatoes equally well. The
tubers of some varieties are close to-
cether in the hill, while those of others
GRO widely scattered. Some are attached
to the stalks so strongly tha' they are
generally drawn up by them when they
are pulled, while others remain in the
ground. Several implements have
been introduced during the past few
years that render the labor performed
more easy than when it was all done
with the common hoe. Among these
implements are the plow having rods
attached to the sides, the pronged hoe,
ana the digging fork. Even with the
aid Of these a large amount of hard
manual labor is required to harvest q
crop Of potatoes. C.ean culture during
the growing season will always result
in greatly reducing the amount of
work required to harvest a crop of pota-
toes. The greater the amount of weeds
and grass in a field of potatoes, the
greater will be the labor required to
harvest the crop.
1t is not best to allow potatoes to re-
main long in the ground after they are
ripe. They should be dug before the
heavy fall rains occur. If the ground
in which potatoes grew becomes thor
oughly soaked with water, it is difficult
to dig and store the tubers so that they
will be in presentable condition. Con-
siderable soil will remain on them and
will injure their looks. 1t will also be
likely to cause them to decay. The
tubers should be exposed to the sun
!
quite damp when they are taken from
the ground, they should remain in the
sun long enough to become dry. Long
exposure to the light and heat of the
sun Injuries the potatoes very greatly.
If exposed sufficiently long, a chemical
change is produced that renders
them unfit for use. Their color
becomes changed to green, the starch
undergOes transformation, and the
flesh loses its crispness and fine flavor.
All the fine qualities of potatoes are
best preserved by placing the tubers in
place that is entirely dark rs soon as
they are taken from the soil. If ar
raugements are made TO preserve the
same amount of moisture they had
when they were in the place where they
grew, they may be kept for months
and still possess all the excellent quail.
ties they had when they were first dug.
For family use it is recommended to
place them in barrels and cover the tor
with thick turf of grass that will I'll
tightly. The barrels should be put in
a cool cellar and raised few inches
from the ground. This arrangement
will keep the tubers cool, moist, and in
darkness, and allow sufficient crcu-
lation of air among them. 1t also pre-
vents the tuberS from sprouting. 1t is
well to preserve not only eating but
seed potatoes in this way. If SO kept,
the eyes will be strong at planting time
in the spring.
1t is not practical to preserve large
quantities of potatoes in this way. An
attempt should be made, however, to
secure about the same conditions in q
simpler manner. A good cellar is the
best place for storing potatoes. Ii
should be rendered dark for the ronSOn.