The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-10-25
The Harvesting
and Storing
Sweet Potatoes
Seemingly Hardy Roots Need a.
Careful Handling a. Apples and
Congratulated Suggested.

potatoes must be harvested and stor-
ed with the utmost care, say special
lists of the U. s. Department of Agri-
culture, if their production is to
prove profitable. Any bruising Of
the roots, either in the field or in
storage, will greatly increase the
percentage Of loss.> In storage the
temperature at which the potatoes
are kept is also an important factor
in determining their keeping qualities
Harvesting Methods Recommended
Throughout most of the sweet po-
tato producing region the harvest
will take place within the next six
weeks or two months. Growers
should be sure before digging that
the roots are mature, and they should
select time when the ground is dry
and the day bright. If frost nips
the plants, the roots should be dug
within the next few days and, if this
is impossible, the dead plants should
be cut of at the ground with a hoe
so that in rotting they will not carry
the decay to. the roots.
Care should be taken in plowing
out the potatoes to avoid all bruising
BY contact between the implements
used and the roots. The soil should
then be scratched away from the po-
tatoes and they should, be left expos
ed for several hours to dry. Picking
should be in padded boxes, baskets,
or crates. The roots should be care
fully placed, not thrown into the
picking receptacles. Although sweet
potatoes do not have the appearance
Of being easily injured, they require,
in fact, as careful handling as oran-
ges and apples.
Handling should be minimized to
as great an extent as possible. This
makes desirable rough sorting in
the field by placing the largest pota-
toes in one picking container, the
smallest in another, and the bruised
roots in a third. In no case should
sacks be used either as temporary
containers or for marketing purposes
diseased potatoes should be placed in
none Of the assortments. Such roots
should not be left permanently I'm the
field, however, to contaminate the
soil, but should be gathered and fed
to pigs.
Proper Storage Facilities
Proper storage facilities are valu-
able to the grower in that they do
away with the necessity Of selling
the crop on digging, greatly lessen
the>heavy losses sustained when the
primitive storage method Of burying
the potatoes is employed, and permit
holding for good prices in winter or
spring. A special storage house,
such as many southern farmers have
built, is advocated by the Department
specialists. Such structure with a
capacity of 1000 to $500 bushels
can be built at cost Of from 500
to $500, depending on the availabili-
ty of lumber and other material The
storage house should have double
walls to insulate against heat and
cold and false floor to facilitate
ventilation. A stove should be in
stalled for supplying artificial heat.
If bins are used, they should have
Slated sides, further to facilitate q
circulation of air.
Sweet potatoes may be satisfac-
torily stored in bins, but where ece-
nomically practicable it is advisable
to store in crates or hampers, since
such practice reduces pressure on
the roots, permits better ventilation,
and confines such rotting as may
start to a relatively restricted space.
In some sections the potatoes are
stored in the hampers in whcih they
are to be marketed, being removed
just before shipment and resorted.
Disinfseting Storage RsesPtaelss.
Where storage is to be in bins or
other receptacles these should, It
they have been used before, be thor
oughly disinfected by spraying with
solutions of formalin or copper sui
phats. The former should be used
in the proportion Of / pint to 80
gallons Of water. The copper sui
phate should be used at the rate OF
1 pound to 25 gallons Of water. With
either solution a second spraying
should be given after "a hours.
| Proper Storage Temperatures.
When first placed in the storage
house sweet potatoes should be cured
by being kept, by the use Of fire, in
a temperature of from 80 to 80 de-