The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1910-02-10
First Part Published in Recorder of
February 3rd)
STORAGE

STORAGE
Each year the storage of pota-
toes is becoming a subject of great
er Importance. The object to be
aimed at in storage is to keep the
potatoes as low a temperature as
possible without freezing and at the
same time keep the surrounding air
as dry as possible Potatoes should
be pretty ripe when harvested, as
sllin-slip potatoes turn black, do not
keep well, and are unattractive when
exposed for sale.
While mining in the early days
Of Colorado, at an altitude of 49,
600 feet, the writer met an old pros
pector who was going to leave the
country. He said that in an old
tunnel l would find some supplies,
including / 2 sacks of potatoes which
had been put there two years before,
and which l might have. The con-
dition of these potatoes was appar-
emily the same as when they were
dug; they were not shriveled, no
shrinkage was apparent, the eyes
were not swollen, and when cooked
they were just as edible as when
dug out of the ground. There had
been an air shaft constructed at the
end of the tunnel and through the
tunnel was a good current of dry
air The temperature was above
40 degrees F. When the writer
came to build a potato cellar he
tried to get as near those condi-
tions as possible.
The cellar is so by 200 feet. At
each end there is a dead-air space
of about 10 feet in the form of
vestibule between the outer and
inner doors which affords protection |
from freezing. There is drive I
way clear through and on either
side the bins located, skylights and |
ventilators being placed every 10 |
feet The temperature of the Gel
lar may be lowered by opening the
doors and letting a current Of air
to pass through. When it is too
cold for this, the ventilators at the
top may be opened The best ven
tilation is always secured by build
ing the cellar in line with the di
rection of the prevailing air current.
During the winter the temperature
should be kept as near 32 degrees
F. as possible; it should never go
below 80 degrees nor above SO de-
grees. Potatoes will not freeze un-
til the temperature falls below 2S
degrees F. In the spring of the
warm, the cellar doors are kept open
at night and closed in the daytime.
one important point in the stor-
age of potatoes is to reduce the
to as low point d.
rectly after the product is stored.
Tut about one foot of potatoes on
lie cellar floor, and by the time
the entire floor is covered to thai
depth the heat from those pota
.oes is pretty we'll carried off by the
air currents. Then add ano,i~r
aver, thus properly regulating tie
as tie storage progress
IS. Ordinarily, when the cellar is
illed The potatoes are piled about
feet deep.
ia deciding what kind of pota
oes to plant, the grower should
tudy the conditions and demands of
he market. He should grow a {
potato. On rich land
he potatoes planted inches apart G
n the row will yield not only a
reater tonnage, but tubers of more
esirable size. There are few mar c
cts, except in the South, that will ?
ay good price for large potatoes
"Our methods of packing and mar $
citing potatoes have been, and are
ct for the most part, more crude
han those used with other products. II
iy the time they get to the con- =
umer they are more or less bruised s.
r crushed. The writer has thought
f Grating potatoes and developing p
nat idea in Denver and New York. II
t the present time he favors a 40 81
ound crate. This size may be in u
'eased or decreased to suit the mar II
et The grower should cater to 81
le demand of the most particular g
nd exacting consume er's. iie %
,ould trv to educate the nublic TO Il
ppreciate the delicacy of first So
ass potato. The grower need not ci
? afraid of freight bills if he can