The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-10-17
HARVESTING swREr POTATOES s


HARVESTING SWEET POTATOES
B llletin 81. Of the Texas Experiment
Station, published several years ago,
has the following on Harvesting
Sweet Potatoes" which our readers in
tereste d would do we'll to file for future
reference:
To keep sweet potatoes we'll they
must first be properly harvested If
the crop be intended for stock food it
is much cheaper to let the stock har
vest it. Cattle may be turned on first
to eat the tops and vines, afterWard
hogs may be turned on to harvest the
tubers. In this way nearly ell the
crop may be saved at a minimum cost
If the potatoes are to be dug. it is i'm
portant to know when to dig. The
crop should not be dug when the sspis
active in the vines. If, when tuber
is cut, the cut place partially heals
over and becomes dry, the crop is
ready t. be harvested. But il the cut
place turns greenish black the crop is
not ready to be harvested.
Vines are a great nuisance in har
vesting sweet potatoes. There are two
DIFF sren6 ways of getting rid Of them.
One is to gr6zo them tf and the other
is to cua them eff We have us3d a
sharp rolling cutter on the beam Of a
turning plow, just in front Of the plow
peiaf. e5zecessfuliy. This rolling cut
ter cuts the vines on each side Of the
row, while some dirt was thrown away
from the row at the same time. The
third time the turning plow was run in
the center OF the rows nd the potatoes
thrown out. The tubers were then
gathered eni sacked. Care must be
taken not to bruise them, as the soft
rot is apt to start at all bruised places.
All bruised tubera should be sorted cut
and fed at unce before storing.
We have tried tositite, Bordeaux
mixture, lime and sand in keeping
sweet potatoes, but neither one proved
effectual in preventing the spra ad Ct
black rot. We have obtained good re
suits by letting the tubers remain in
the ground where they grow until
wanted. By throwing dirt over the
rows with a turning ploW it will pre-
vent them from free ng in this climate
Further work, which is now in prog
rege, is necessary along this line before
positive recommendations can be given
as to the best method to prevent injury
by black rot. II the potatoes are to be
stored away they must be dried first,
and those which decay from soft rot
must be take en- out frequently. In
about two weeks after digging they
will be dry and the eoft rot will stop.
The potato house we have used in keep
ing potatoes, both sweet and Irish, is
shown in bulletin now in press. I5
consists Of two outer walls with dead
air space between. Also two doors, a
double floor and a ventilator The
ventilator may be opened and closed at
will. During warm days in the fall
the doors are left open for further ven
tilation, Inside are upright pieces
which protect from the floor to the cell
ing. S rips reach from these across to
the walls, and on these planks are laid
Iengthwise, which are nailed also
against the sides Of the posts, thus
forming long boxes. The potatoes are
stored in these and dry road sand
mixed with them. Mice cannot go
through dry sand. Potatot S kept we'll
in this house last winter when the tenn
perature went down as low as z de
grees f., and not per cent was in
jured by free ziDg
The sand must be changed every
year for sweet potatoes, because it is
very apt to contain spores Of diseases
which will infect the next crop. Where
we did not change the sand nearly all
the crop was lost from black rot. The
potatoes that have kept best are Brazil
ian, Bronza, Canal, Shanghai and
Southern Queen. The purple skin varie
ties have resisted the diseases best.
A single human hair will support