The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-10-03
harvesting Potatoes.


The harvesting and storing ofihe 20
tato crop is an important matter, henee
prsc,icll suggestions on The subject can
hardly fail 10 prove useful a very com
mon mistake j. the U Of delaying the
harvesting OF the taber until TOO late
The tops have been dead some weeks a
couious groNth Of weeds has taken their
plaee. the ground has became muddy ~hh
autumn rains. and the potatoes ~hep
thrown out are mere OF les covered WIN
mud. They are then, muddy as they are
thrown into the cellar OF piled In heaps
ont q door. to be covered with straw
and earth as protection against the freez-
inv cold OF winter. The mud which adj
heres to them tends to increase the ten
dency to rot, which is further fastened
BY the warm temperature o. the cellar
during warm autumn days.
A better plan, says The C0iuakymaH,
is to dig the crop before the fall rains
have reduced the soil 70 mud, and If pos
sible before the NJ has commenced tie
work Of d~estructiDn. For the 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 bread Slated
floor on the north or cool side Of an o-t-
house. 80 situated that the air can circu-
late freely from below and pass up throngh
the potatoes. They shonld not be placed
in too large masses, 50 az 10 obstruct ven
tilstion. Crops which would rot badly
En- wet ground. would not seriously suffer
II propery treated in this uay. In some
~unfavorabie seasons, when more than half
the csop was ruined By rotting when dug,
the selecied and sound reEainder, thor
ourhly cleaned and placed on such slated
floor. has nearly or entirely ceased from
decay. 81 that not one bushel in thirty
has Suffered. Il Is very important how-
ever. that the work BE- done thoroughly
and IN the ie-i manner. Tor II canelesy
parfomed il Woaid b. of comparatively
little use
When oali weather approaches tie
tulars en- either removed to fhe cellar
inieniel Or ffem OF tlrnei luf of door
in heaps m p,s When burlel tlcg
mur hc protested from thealtere nlu-
en,~ afIi.hf ani fn.F and neans 81
se-uflation
T. nflm fa fhe sarnl f Ihar
cl.f aal'd o. mare perfect fts ar
meui- 81 si.d. fhrI fam tar d1ar ueu
separate lnm rar ms ode bonding tg
nln-ouIuainz walls and aoe@ % the
ouis lt oartrlliei D shutters o. the SIM
dose nurng &C. heat e warm davs
thca shuiter. aoaIl he r.o=-l Boz OPEN
I'D on o1oi uedf- ior the admission 0f
cola air. in this uay The temperature
MAS le keri iou ODD the tire and the
danger ofrauin- lessruei in auiamn or
winter. and premature sproutine prevent
ed 10 the uarm weather ~ spring. These
We've naturally suggcst q storage house
such az many large growers build.
When small quantities Of potatoes are
kept IN ceiiar, and only for family use,
the authority quoted from suggests that
the vegetable apartment in which they
are stoned must be Kept seraite from all
the other experimentation the n for
fruit, OF FOR dairy products, OF for furnace
caal-and be 30 situated that by closing
or opening windows a 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 aud
raised several inches from the cement
floor. Potatoes do nG dry and shrivel 50
readily as apples, and the basement
should not be a wet apartment nor a dir
~ y II is hardly necessary 10 add that
wherever they are stored, they are to be
kept from the light with a thin covering
Of straw or coarse sacking.
Those who would succeed with poto-
toes should remember the essential re-
quisites Of harvesting early before the
advent Of mud and the rot, handling care
fully 10 prevent bruising, preserving the
tubers clean and providing sulH cient ven
t%ilation, whether in heaps u tdoors or in.
These remarks are made rather in the
way Of suggestion Than as laying down
fixed and unalteuble rules. and We trus;
they may aid young cultivAtors in the
successful management Of their CROPS