Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-18
0NLY TWO MARKET POTATOES
Wore Than Thousand Varieties
Grown, Yet Red and White
Are Types Recognized.

NO 1000 plant is so universally used
N civilized countries as the potato.
Ihere are probably more than one
thousand varieties of potatoes grown
each year, yet so little is known about
quaHty and varieties in potatoes that
many markets know but two types or
hlnos OF potatoes, the red and the
Wnlte. Consumers Of apples and other
fruits demand certain varieties and a
certain quality in these fruits, so that
some varieties bring more than twice
as much per unit on the market as
other varieties. The difference in quail
lty is just as great in varieties and
types of potatoes as in the fruits. This
ulfference is becoming recognized so
that some markets are demanding a
high quality of potato at high
price.
The most desirable potato for shape
and size for all purposes is oblong,
round or kidney shaped, and it should
weigh ten to fourteen ounces The
ayes should be shallow Nearly all the
protein of the potato and a large part
of the starch is near the surface of
the tuber. If the eyes are deep, the
tuber Irregular in form, the loss from
pairing will be from 80 to SO per cent of
the food of the tuber
The skin of the potato should be
tough, so as to withstand the rough
handling which potatoes receive in
getting from the grower to the con-
sumner.
Some of the highest quality have
thin skins. These should be handled
IN small crates or boxes. In this way
some of the growers of Colorado are
receiving considerably more for the
product than the general market, even
after the expense of handling and the
box is taken out.
unfortunately high quality and pro-
ductlVeness are two characters that
are not usually combined in potatoes
High quality in potatoes, according to
the generally accepted definition of the
term, consists in mealiness and good
flavor in the cooked potato The for
mer characteristic can be controlled
partly by soil conditions and moisture
supply. loose soil and scant water
VIII give dryer potato than the re-
verse. Flavor is generally varietal
characte5 stic and cannot be con-
trolled tol any great extent by cultural
methods.
One of the greatest faults of most
potato producing regions, especially in
a new country, is that too many varie-
ties are grown Even if they are all
good, one variety of a season-that is,
early, medium and late-is better for a
community than more.
In a community that produces MANY
potatoes storage houses become a ne
cessity. In Colorado the underground
or dugoltt Storage house has proved
f,,1 Dot
In an ordinary storage room lose
weight rapidly and soon become shriv-
eled and of poor quality. The under
ground storage combines all the quail
ties for keeping potatoes in the best
condition.
Possibly the most important requi-
site is to keep down the temperature
of the cellar. These cellars should be
built lengthwise with the currents of
air so that in the fall when the po-
tatoes are put in, a draft through the
cellar can be established at night to
carry off the heat brought in with the
potatoes during the day. The prac-
tice is to fill in the bins in LAYERS of
not more than one foot each day and
let this layer cool down during the
night. After the potatoes are all in
the ventilation is regulated so that the
temperature is kept as near freezing
point as possible without freezing the
potatoes. This ventilation is neces-
sary, not only to regulate the tenn
perature, but to keep the air pure and
dry. If the air becomes foul and damp
molds will grow and dry rot or fusari-
UNI will develop Many potatoes are
spoiled in the stores and in the store
rooms of dwellings. Frequently load
of potatoes is taken to a grocery and
stored in an above ground storeroom
where the air is warm and the room
light 1t is thought because the po-
tatoes are in sacks or barrels that they
will keep until sold out and used. Such
is not the case, however; a very little
light, especially where the air is warm, |
will make potatoes unfit for food in
two weeks.
The same is true in the home The
potatoes are frequently stored near a |
furnace with more or less light. Be-
fore the sack or barrel is all used the
potatoes become greened by the light
and are not only unwholesome, but to
a certain extent poisonous.