The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-16
WITH THE FARMERS
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

|
neighbors will pillow shallow and then
while the crop would flourish better
with n deeply broken soil and level
cultivation. holding the moisture where
the roots need 1t.
Keeping Sweet Potatoes.
Where ono has no proper curing
house. and grows sweet potatoes only
on small scale. how can they be best
heating furnace OF boiler for heating
the house, ono can keep a small lot
of sweet potatoes very well bY-putting
! them in barrels and filling all the inter-
stices with dry sand. Where there Is
no such heat. n cellar may be too cold
for sweet potatoes
The only sweet potato that ] have
ever kept in n common frost proof
cellar with success is the Southern
Queen. or Hayman. us 1t is generally
called in Virginia. The ordinary yell
low sweets. like tho Big Stem Jersey
and the Nansemond. will not keep we'll
il. n common cellar. But l have kept
them till June perfectly sound in the
following way: ] place about twenty
Ave bushels in n conical heap on
layer of Pine straw Il foot thick under
4 rough open shed merely to keep the
rain off. The heaps are covered thick
" all over with pine straw and let
stand till the nights get quite frosty,
the object being to dry them off from
tho sweat that will always go through,
and avoid getting them chilled while
sweating. AS the nights get frosty the
heaps arc covered with dry soil three
inches thick. and let stand till quite
cold weather threatens and then the
thickness of the soil is increased to six
or eight inches The dry soil under Il
shed will keep out far more cold than
wet soil outside. and tho shed Is an
important part of the keeping.
The most important part, however.
is the handling of the potatoes in dig
ging and storing. No cut potatoes
should be stored, and all should be
carefully handled The digging should
be done as soon as the first frost
blackens the leaves and, II practic-
able, when the soil is dry and tho sun
warm. Leave them lying along the
rows as dug unit: the afternoon, and
then gather them in crates or baskets
to carry them to the storing place.
Where sweet potatoes are grown on
large scale, the curing house Is q
necessity for winter keeping. These
houses are now often built ut Che rail-
road stations, and potatoes stored Tor
farmers all around. while some grow
ers build their own curing house.
These houses are furnished with heat
ing apparatus and ventilating arrange
ment, and tho potatoes soon as in
and dried Off at = temperature of 90
degrees and after that the fire heat
is seldom needed. and they keep well
at a temperature of AS. But where
sound and unbruised potatoes are at
hand. the hill plan under Il Shed Is n
pretty certain method. but hardly
available in the elevated and colder
parts OF the state. Whom was Il boy
nearly every farm house in Eastern
Virginia had sweet potato pit under
the hearth in the kitchen and extend
ing some distance in front OF the
| hearth, where there was n trap door
| to lift up to get at the potatoes
J They cooked then in the big fireplace.
! and the pit was always moderately
J w:rm. and the potatoes kept there fine
\ ~. Then we had the Spanish the
( sweetest OF sweet potatoes. and II
| was fun to get them out and roast
! them In the ashes covered with Goals
| The negro quarters generally had pits.
! too. and many Il potato have eaten