Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-10-01
TO SAVE SWEET POTATOES.

The problem Of saving sweet potatoes
through the winter is one that troubles
many people in this section. There are
many individuals who understand the
art thoroughly, and who need no advice
on the subject. There are others VINO
seem to be unable to succeed, no mat
ter what method they attempt We
have Just run across novel plan that
is recommended in The News and Cour-
| ier by A. w. Brabham, Of Bamburg.
AS to it's practical value, we are una
BILE to give an opinion. 1t Is quite sim
pie however, and seems to be well
worth a trial, at least on a small scale.
Mr. Brabham writes as follows:
The time Is near at hand when the
sweet potato crop will be harvested,
and as usual, put away to spoil. Per
haps there Is no crop that spo1ls upon
the farmers hands equal to the potato
crop. It is safe to say that half OF all
the potatoes put away for winter and
spring use spoil, either by rotting In
winter or sprouting and drying out too
much in spring.
Such heavy losses on this valuable
crop put me to thinking and to ex-
perimenting. OF course, success did not
come the first year, but 1t did come,
and now do not lose per cent. OF my
potatoes, and I believe can keep them
in an absolutely perfect condition till
August.
1T was thus that came to make my
discovery: I noticed that when I put
away my potatoes that those nearest
the bottom of the pit, lying on the damp
earth, in contact with no straw or 9TH
er foreign matter, kept better than
those that were protected(?) by straw
or other covering, and reached con-
clusion that should I put my tubers
deep enough into the earth, keep out all
rain and cold, that the problem was
solved. This have proved beyond any
doubt.
AS soon as the first frost in October
nips and bites my potato vines, put In
ploughs and hand rakes and harvest my
crop. I dig pits three feet wide, six
feet long and five feet deep, fill in with
potatoes to within two feet Of the top.
Any kind Of clean, dry stuff, such as
hay fodder, rice, oat or wheat straw
may be used to fill in the remaining
space up to the surface, then roof of
boards is made to shed off the rain, and
upon this roof is thrown two or three
inches of earth to keep out the cold.
Pototoes thus put away will not rot,
or lose one pound per bushel in weight,
or sprout till midsummer. And they
sweeten and get softer as they age and
mellow in their sepulchral-like repec-
tacle.
Just here I am led to think that this
method would be an ideal one for keep
ing apples, late peaches. pears, grapes;
in fact, al kind Of fruits and vegeta-
bles, perfectly fresh from one season
to another.
Fruits and conserves were exhumed
only a few years ago at Pompeii and
other buried cities Of the east just as
fresh as they were when put away in
cans and jars nearly 1000 years ago.
And from this discovery the great can
ming industry of today sprung.
In putting away potatoes in pits there
are simple rules that must be followed:
Dig or harvest potatoes before hard
frost. Frost-bitten potatoes will not
keep, and even could they be kept, they
are not edible.
Do not dig your pit deep enough for
the water to sipe (seep) into the pit.
On a high elevation you may dig the
pit as deep as you wish, but on very
low lands do not go so deep.
Do not put any straw or any foreign
substance on the bottom of your pit.