The Elbert County tribune., 1917-08-24
TOCONSERVE POTATO
Officials of Food Administration
Give Advice.
Unusual Facilities for Financing stor-
age Have Been Arranged and a
Comprehensive Plan Of Action
Is Recommended.

Washington.-Official of the food
administration gave out the following
statement concerning the steadying of
potato prices, especially important just
now:
Unusual facilities for financing stor-
age are offered American potato grow
ers as result of war conditions. The
federal reserve system is at their dis
posal, and farmers who store their 1917
potato crop in approved local ware
houses, may obtain, upon their storage
receipts. 90-day loans from member
banks of the reserve system at rate
not to exceed per cent. Mr.. Lou ID.
Sweet, potato expert with the food adj
ministration, WAS instrumental In
bringing this matter to the reserve
boards attention.
New England growers have started
a movement to take advantage of this
ruling to help them solve their market
ing problem. The prospect which the
growers of this group of states face
Is that of handling 45,000.000 bushels
of potatoes-one-t tenth of the entire
United States crop-without causing
an overstocked market and the result
ing loss of all profit on the crop.
The growers communicated with To-
cal authorities in their respective
states, who in turn laid the situation
before the food administration. A con-
ference between the growers, local au-
thorities and experts from the food
administration was held recently at
Boston, Mass. A plan of action was
mapped out at this meeting which in
cludes the following:
/. Marketing of only one-third of the
crop at harvest time; another third in
80 days, or placing in storage and later
distributed as demand affords oppor-
tunity; the remaining third to be
stored by the grower and marketed
throughout the year.
.. All potatoes to be graded with
care, taking out culls, cuts, cracks and
any that are bruised. 1t was recon-
nended that wire screen grader be
1sed-one and seven-eighths-inch mesh
for oblong tubers and two-inch mesh
for round ones. Graded stock then to
be placed in good two-bushel sacks
one hundred and fifteen pounds to the
sack-and the sacks sewed tightly so
as to prevent shucking and bruising.
3. Increasing the load in each rail-
road car from the normal 10000
pounds. That these cars can be un-
loaded within "a to SO hours of their
arrival at destination.
4. That municipalities and other
bodies provide storage for as large
quantities as possible at the peak of
the harvest.
"A storage house." said Lou d.
Sweet, who attended this meeting,
"such as will epnform to the require
ments laid dos;, by the Federal Reserve
board, does not call for specially con-
structed house. There are innumer-
able buildings, which, If properly
cleaned, ventilation provided, and man.
aged so as TO maintain temperature
of about 3S degrees, will answer ad-
mirably for this purpose.
"This year the United States planted
Its potato crop from the poorest quail
ity of seed that ever went into the
ground. and naturally the harvest will
be potatoes of poor quality. Strict
grading. careful packing, common
sense storage, and careful shipping are
necessary to insure just returns to the
growers who have responded to the
presidents call for increased produc
ton OF potatoes"