The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1904-05-14
Keeping Sweet
Potatoes

Every farmer that raises sweet po-
tatoes realizes how difficult it Is to
keep them for few months in winter.
The percentage OF loss from rotting is
SO great that the grower generally
Yet in many instances early sales are
made at disadvantage. and it be-
comes advisable to hold the crop for
better prices. Most farmers also de-
sire to retain enough sweet potatoes
In their cellars to last the family
through the winter. The problem of
keeping them Is therefore one OF con-
siderable moment to the grower as
well as to the farmer that wishes to
buy his sweet potatoes by the barrel
rather than by the peck. 1t may be
said that as yet no general method of
keeping has been discovered that
gives entire satisfaction. Some of the
best recommended methods have at
times utterly failed to keep the tubers
for even ten weeks without an enor-
nous percentage of loss In rotten ones.
Cold storage does not seem to be
suited to this farm product; as the air
of cold storage houses is altogether
too low in temperature.
Men that have had long experience
III keeping sweet potatoes declare that
The temperature must not be less than
10 degrees nor more than 90 degrees
and that this temperature must be
kept about uniform. The uniformity
Is necessary to keep the tuber and the
air at the same temperature. II the
tuber becomes colder than the sur
rounding air. moisture will be depos-
tied on the outside, and this induces
rot. This condition of difference in
temperature may be brought about by
sudden rise in the temperature of
the room in which the potatoes are
kept. This explains why sweet pota-
toes packed In dry sand will some
times keep exceptionally well, the
sand preventing circulation of air
and therefore also preventing any sud
den change of temperature. Moisture
and temperature are the two chief fac.
tors in the keeping Of sweet potatoes.
While white potatoes may be kept at
the freezing point or a little below,
sweet potatoes must be kept compare
uveay warm and entirely dry. To get
this latter condition 1t has become q
quite common practice with those that
have large quantities Of sweet pota.
toes to keep over winter to have them
partly Kindred before they are
packed away. To do this the potatoes
are put in & room where the tempera-
ture is kept at from 100 to 1870 de-
grees for eight days. at the end of
which time they are stored in q place
where they will be thoroughly dry at
all times and in which the tempera-
ture never goes below IS degrees nor
higher than 60. This matter is one
of the hardest things to handle, and
is practically possible only on a com
mercial scale.
Attempts have been made to treat
the tubers before storing and without
first drying them out. The Arkansas
station tried thirteen different ways
unsuccessfully. The percentage Of
sound tubers after ten weeks from dig
ging were rs follows: Not treated,
81; packed In dry sand. "a: packed
In wood ashes. IA: packed in road
dust, 3S; packed in air-slacked lime,
IS; rolled in flowers of sulphur, "a;
rolled in powdered sulphate Of copper,
IS; rolled in air-slaked lime, so; i'm.
mersed 80 minutes in Bordeaux mix.
ture, "A; immersed 80 minutes in cop
per sulphate solution, s.; immersed
80 minutes in formalin. Il pint to 30
gallons water). &c: immersed 30 min
utes in formalin Il pint to 40 gallons),
So; immersed 80 minutes In formalin
Il pint to so gallons water), So; i'm.
mersed 80 minutes in ammonia and
sulphate Of copper, r. 1t will thus be
seen that none of the methods gave
even fair results. the best showing Is
per cent Of rotten tubers at the end
of ten weeks
From the principles Calculated, It
is evident that 1t Is mistake to put
sweet potatoes into our ordinary eel
lars. which are altogether too damp
for such storage. Where the cellar is
well cemented and 4 furnace is used
for heating the dwelling, the tubers
may be stored there. Otherwise 1t
would be better to store them in dry
sand, saw-dust or chat. in some warm,
dry upper room. But in all cases they
should be well dried out before being
thus stored.
Hon Anssas