The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1915-10-02
VOL. xxx
Keeping Sweet Potatoes.

The greatest problem has Away!
been to keep sweet potatoes through
the winter This is why they are moi
more largely raised for market. Me
ridian College, of Meridian, Miss, ha:
been paking experiments for many
years in order to discover a plan by
which sweet potatoes can be kept with
reasonable certainty to be marketable
when prices are higher We believe
We have solved this problem. After
several years testing the plan we have
been able to keep about 80 to 80 per
cent of our sweet potatoes, including
cut and bruised ones, till used up OF
until our new ones come in the next
year. Our plan briefly stated is this:
Build a tight house, storm sheet it,
cover with builders paper and wealth
sr-board it. cell walls and overhead,
leave door in south end, window in
north end. We use two door shutters
and double windows in same opening.
one opening outside and one on the in
side. This leaves dead air space to
keep air warm. Make air shaft through
ceiling and center of roof, extend it
above roof and open it south with tran
som above the roof. Make Slated
shelving on each side of room, begin
ming about "a inches from dirt floor,
shelves two feet apart made of one by
three or four lumber placed one inch
apart so the air can circulate freely
through the shelves. We have an aisle
in the center three feet wide, shelving
extending to the aisle. Have Stats back
OF shelves SO an air space will be be-
tween potatoes and wall Build house
IL feet wide and as long as wanted. 1t
takes one 10 feet high and 30 feet long
to hold 1000 bushels.
Dig potatoes in as dry a time as pos
sible. Handle them carefully, so as
not to bruisc them. Put cut ones to
themselves and small potatoes on bot
tom shelves, as it takes them longer to
dry on bottom. Place large stove in
the center of the room. If the build
ing is long put in two stoves or as many
as needed to heat well. Coal stoves
keep heat longer.
Heat up the room to a hundred de-
gree temperature by shutting doors and
windows. Open transom in ventilating
shaft. A small vent hole four inches
BY nine or IL inches under the door for
intake of air is necessary while drying
i the building is tight The stoves
should be heated as soon as the first DO
tatoes are put in so as to begin drying
At once before they rot The idea is to
<iln-dry the potatoes. The moisture
:ultivates the rot germ. 1t can't live |
n dry potatoes. Get excess of mois-
ture out of potatoes as quickly as pos
,ible.
1t takes about 10 days of heat with |
.he thermometer registering about 100
degrees to dry the potatoes. Fire I'M
Ill bedtime and then begin early in the
morning; then open the windows and
loors and keep potatoes as cool as pos
ibIe without freezing. Forty degrees
will be right or as nearly as possible.
No more heat will be needed all winter
n southern climate. In freezing wea-
her shut all doors and windows to
leep potatoes from freezing, but don't
all to ventilate it again when the
weather. moderates. We have never
allied to keep potatoes in a house like
his, dried out in this way, and kept
Try and cool without freezing.
Before we learned better we thought
hat We would wait until all potatoes
we're in before we began drying, but
We found that we had waited too late,
s about 100 bushels were rotted before
We knew it. We have bought potatoes
hat were rotting and dried them out
nd they stopped rotting, although we
o not advise one to take that risk. A
ew will be lost of dry rot. but very
ew. 1t stops the wet mushy rot that
sually destroys the whole crop when
! starts.
This house can be made cheaply of
lmber. No floor is needed, but select
high, dry, well-drained place. A dry
ouse is what is wanted. 1t can be
made of bricks or stone. Meridian
,ollege has one of cement blocks. They
,ere made and laid by the students.
he Woman's College has one of wood.
'hich is quite inexpensive, but it serves
ne purpose.
The college makes and keeps from
$50 to 2OG0 bushels each year. We
sise them at little cost. We pillow I
gritty with cultivator and cultivate