The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-01
HARVESTING POTATOES.
Practical Suggestions That Cannot Fail 70
Prove Useful.


Prove Useful.
The harvesting and storing Of the po-
tato crop Is an Important matter. hence
practical suggestions on the subject can
hardly fail to prove useful. very COM
mon mistake is the one Of delaying the
harvesting of the tubers until too late,
The tops have been dead some weeks, a
copious growth Of weeds has taken their
place, the ground has become muddy with
autumn rains, and the potatoes when
thrown out are more or less covered with
aud. They are then, muddy as they are,
thrown into the cellar or piled in heaps
ont of doors. to be covered with straw
and earth as protection against the freez-
ing cold of winter, The mud which ad
heres to them tends to increase the ten
dency to rot. which is further fastened
by the warm temperature of the cellar
during warm autumn days,
A better plan, says Country Gentleman
Is to dig the crop before the fall rains
have reduced the soil to mud. and II pos
sible before the rot has commenced its
work Of destruction. For this purpose
early maturing sorts, as for instance the
Ohio and Hebron, have the advantage
over later varieties. Being clean and dry,
they may be placed on a broad Slated
floor on the north or cool side of an out
house, so situated that the air can circu'
late freely from below and pass up through
the potatoes. They should not be placed
in too large masses, so as to obstruct ven
tilation. Crops which would rot badly In
wet ground, would not seriously suffer II
properly treated in this way. In some
unfavorable seasons. when more than half
the crop was ruined by rotting when dug,
| the selected and sound remainder, thor
oughly cleaned and placed on such slated
floor, has nearly or entirely ceased from
decay, so that not one bushel In thirty
has suffered. 1t is very important, how
ever, that the work be done thoroughly
and In the best manner, for II carelessly
performed it would be Of comparatively
little use.
When cold weather approaches the
tubers are either removed to the cellar
intended for them or turned out of doors
In heaps or pits. When buried, they
must be protected from the adverse influ.
ences of light and frost and means of
entilation supplied.
To return to the Slated floors. Their
effect would be more perfect II the apart
ments Of which they form the floor were
separate from the rest Of the building by
non conducting walls. and access to the
outside controlled by shutters to the win
dows. During the heat Of warm days
these shutters would be closed. but opened
on cool nights for the admission Of cold
air In tnis way the temperature may be
kept low all the time. and the danger of
rottinG lessened in autumn or winter,
and premature sprouting prevented in the
warm weather Of spring. These views
naturally suggest storage house such
as many large growers build.
| When small quantities Of potatoes are
kept in cellars. and only for family use.
the authority quoted from suggests that
the vegetable apartment In which they
are stored must be kept separate from all
the other apartments-from the one for
fruit. or for dairy products. or for furnace
coal-and be SO situated that by closing
or opening windows uniformly low tenn
perature may be secured. A convenient
place for storing in cellars is in large OBJ.
long boxes holding twenty bushels, more
or less. having Slated bottoms. and
raised several inches from the cement
floor. Potatoes do not dry and shrivel so
readily as apples. and the basement
should not be wet apartment nor dirty
one. 1t is hardly necessary to add that
wherever they are stored, they are to be
kept from the light with thin covering
of straw or coarse sacking.
Those who would succeed with poto.
toes should remember the essential
requisites of harvesting early before the
advent of mud and the rot, handling care
fully to prevent bruising, preserving the
tubers clean and providing sufficient ven
tilation, whether in heaps out doors or in
cellars or apartments.
These remarks are made rather in the
way of suggestion than as laying down
fixed and unalterable rules, and we trust
they may aid young cultivators in the
successful management of their crops.