The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-10-08

To the Editor Of The News and
Courier The time is near at hand
when the sweet potato crop will be
harvested and, as usual, put away to
spoil. Perhaps there is no crop that
spoils upon the farmers hands equal
to the potato crop. 1t 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 nc to thinking and to expcr
imenting. Of course, success did not
come the first year, but it did come,
and now | do not lose per cent. Of
ny potatoes, and believe I can keep
them in an absolutely perfect condi-
tion till August.
1t was thus that came to make my
discovery: | noticed that when put
away my potatoes that those nearest
the bottom of the pit, lying on the
damp earth, in contact with no straw
or other foreign matter, kept better
than those that were protected (?) by
straw or other covering, and I reached
a conclusion tha. should | put my
tubers deep enough into the earth,
keep out all rain and cold, that the
problem owas solved. This I have
proved beyond doubt.
AS soon as the first frost in Octo-
ber nips or bites my potato vines l
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 roofis thrown two or three inches
of earth to keep out the cold.
Potatoes thus put away will not rot,
or lose one pound per bushel in
weight, or sprout till mid d-summer.
And they sweeten and get softer as
they age and mellow in their reccpta-
Gle.
just here am led TO think that this
method would be an ideal one for
keeping apples, late peaches, pears.
grapes; in fact, all kinds of fruits and
vegetables, fresh from one season to
another.
Fruits and conserves were exhumed
only 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 TWO thousand
years ago. And from this discovery
the great canning industry Of to-day
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 seep into the pit. On
higI elevation you may dig the pit as
deep as you wish, but on low lands do
not 60 30 deep.
Do not put any straw or any foreign
substance on the bottom Of your pit.
Put the potatoes on the cool, damp
earth.
Use no "sidings" Of anything against
the walls of your pit. Let the tubers
be in contact with the cool, damp
earth.
Do not make your pits too large.
Three feet wide, six feet long and FIVE
feet deep will give good results on
high land. On low lands three feet
will de deep enough; fill half full of
potatoes when the pit is three feet
deep.
If the top 6lling Of straw is not