Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-09-03
How TO Keep Your Potatoes.

W ~
always i'm general sense big item
"a. matter of more or less import
ance to almost every farmer.
All who grow potatoes should
know how to make the most of them,
in the sense of caring for them
properly after they are grown, and
yet many of those who produce po-
tatoes fall far short of this desirable
result. We want to show how
good potatoes can be kept good dur
ing the whole of the regular storage
season.
AT its best the potato is one of the
best of vegetables. AT its worst it
is one of the poorest. Often the
fault of It's being inferior is in the
cooking; often it is in the storage.
Attention will now be directed to
the latter, this being the time of
year-the time of year for the dig
ging of the main orop-when atten-
tion to it urgently begins.
Potatoes are stored with success,
both in cellars and in the open
ground. The tubers should be kept
dry and in the dark whilst being
stored. When potatoes are exposed
to the light they become green, and
all green potatoes-green in whole
or in part only-are wholly unfit for
food.
The right sort of potato cellar is
the best of all places for storing the
potato, because in the cellar it can
be reached at any time. When it is
stored in the open air the weather
conditions have to be considered in
opening the pit to obtain supplies.
In the properly constructed cellar
it is comparatively easy to secure
and maintain the essentials in this
Observation-Disclosures, by which pure
air can be regularly supplied, and a
temperature as low as possible with
out falling below the freezing point.
Many potatoes are stored in pits
and come out of them in flst-class
condition-better often than they do
out of cellars as ordinarily con-
structed and left to take care of
themselves.
In those parts of the country
where the winter is severe the cover
ing of the pit must be sufficient to
keep out the frost, as frost operates
in the open air.
1t is customary under these cir
cumstances to begin the covering
with a coating of straw-a few
inches of straw is here sufficient
and then put just enough earth on
top of the straw to hold the straw in
place.
This will do until the very severe
weather begins to show itself. The
menace of the first approach of
severe weather should be taken as
sign for the putting on of all the
additional earth needed for full
winter protection. Over this earth
put some more straw and arrange to
prevent the straw from being blown
off by wind.
AT the top of the pit there should
be one or more spaces for admitting
air, the number of such openings de-
pending on the length of the pit.
They should go clear down to the
layer of straw, Immediately in con-
tact with the tubers.
This is the simple, yet important,
arrangement for ventilation, and in
good practice and with care be-
slowed on the details it works all
right,
When the frost comes, and as
long as it is present, Ell these open
ings with straw we'll pressed down.
The potato pit should be made on
high ground-ground above the
level of that commonly around
from which water easily runs away.
Arrange the tubers so that when
they are ready to be covered they
will show a volume gradually be-
coming smaller until the top is
reached.
Of course, the amount of soil used
in covering will vary. In view of
the help which the straw used gives,
the soil put on need never, when it
is all in place, be quite equal to the
depth to which frost commonly pene-
trates in the fields of the neighbor-
hood. The quality of the potato
being much influenced by the man.
ner in which it is stored, and re-
membering that there are still, even
in these days of advanced agricul-
ture, quantities of naturally good
potatoes largely damaged for want
OF proper care, it is hoped that these
suggestions, which indicate the true
course to take, will prove helpful to
many.