Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-10-07

will try to tell i'll a plain, farmer-like
way, how to keep sweet potatoes.
To keep sweet potatoes we'll and
in good condition, they must be well
matured before they are dug, care
fully handled, well dried or cured be-
fore they are stored, and kept at
uniform temperature of so to 50 de-
grees during the time they are being
cured, and reducing the temperature
gradually to So degrees after the po-
tatoes are cured.
TO keep sweet potatoes well the tu
bers should be dug, if possible, be-
fore the vines are killed by the frost.
Handle them carefully, avoid bruis-
ing and cutting; place them in the
baskets as picked up, carry the bas-
kets to the stOrehouse, and empty
them carefully into box, barrel or
final receptacle. If the potatoes are
to be kept in large quantities, house
should be built for this purpose,
above the ground, with walls very
warm to keep out frost and save fuel.
Erect bins to hold so to 100 bushels,
four to six feet deep.
These bins should be elevated
foot above the floor, and leave a space
Of several inches between the bin and
wall on every side; make bottom and
sides Of bin tight to exclude air.
There should be at least one ventila-
tor in roof above to allow steam to
pass off rapidly. From the time Of
storing until cold weather, give plen-
ty Of ventilation, keeping a slow,
steady fire in the middle of the room
to drive out the dampness.
The Critical Time.
The most critical time is when the
potatoes are going through what is
called 1.-The process Of sweating" and
at this time they need very close at
tentlon and proper ventilation. When
cold weather sets in close up tightly
and keep a steady temperature Of
about 60 degrees.
AllSl having SoIc lIllouSh lHS
sweating process, the potatoes may
be covered with dirt, sod or blankets,
to keep them from shriveling by con-
tact with the hot air from the stove.
A slow, steady fire is continually nee
essary. When the weather is moder-
ate, the temperature may be modified
nv nnnnipp Tho 6nnrS
BY this method l hal. .lpr a"ee.
potatoes through the win,=r md sold
them in the city mar, .,. iu rn,
spring, after they had Experienced -.
cold weather as we ever have in the
Ohio Valley.
In order to keep sweet potatoes
successfully, | have found three
things essential: First, they must be
stored as soon as dug, or very soon
after; second, they must be kept at
an even temperature of 80 to GO de-
atmosphere.
Where to Keep Them.
Sweet potatoes may be kept usually
in any ordinary dwelling house or
room where there is a fire during the
day, by observing the proper meth
DDS. Procure good, sound, tight bar
rels (never salt or sugar barrels)
dry the barrels thoroughly in the sun
and wind, and tighten the hoops well.
Get good, sound potatoes, just dug
fresh from the ground. Pack the po-
tatoes carefully in the barrels without
hruising the potatoes, and place the
barrels in a corner of room or
basement, where there is fire every
day. Cover the potatoes with paper,
and over the paper place a layer of
garden soil an inch deep. You must
understand that this room or base
ment must never get cold enough to
freeze. After doing this, it is best to
let the potatoes alone, carefully TAX
ing out the tubers you wish to use
from time to time, then carefully re-
placing the cover. l will say here
that the smaller potatoes keep better
than the larger ones; therefore it is
best to select the medium-sized tub
ers for those you wish to keep the
longest, and use the largest first.
There is a safe rule | have used for
years to know whether a sweet pota-
to was ripe enough to dig or not. A
potato is ripe enough to be dug,
exposed broken surfaces dry in a few
minutes, but If the broken surfaces