The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1917-08-15
SWEET POTATO A
VALUABLE FOOD
Rietf Kt@d Of = Stora1e House Essen
tial and Should Be Built Early to
Have Ready When Needed
BY J. s. Knox. Hortieulturist with the
Ext easiGn Division, University
of Arkansas.

Pos slbIy there is no other vegeta-
Bile SO generally grown in Arkansas as
is the sweet potato, and rightly SO, be-
cause il is one of the most valuable
vegetables which we can grow for
food. II is fact that diseases cause
some Loss every year. but nine-tenths
of the potatoes which go to waste
do $50 because of improper stor-
age conditions The right KIND C
a storage house is essential and should
be built early in order to have it ready
by the lime the potatoes are dug.
Successful Storage Depends Upon
Several Factors.
Successful storage may be said to
depend upon several factors-G) ma
turity Of potatoes at digging, ca
proper drying out of the potatoes
shortly after they are dug, and (3)
freedom from disease and serious
bruises when placed in storage If po-
tatoes are dug when they are imma-
ture IL requires a longer time to dry
them than when they are fully mature.
At the time Of harvest all potatoes
showing evidence of disease should be
piled to themselves and fed to hogs or
other farm animals. One diseased po-
tato placed in storage bin may be
the cause of half dozen others ret
ting. In digging. use every possible
care to prevent the bruising or skin
ming Of the potatoes, since every
wound thus made opens way for dis
case to enter the potato.
The Pit or Bank Method Of Storing
the Crop.
For the small home grower this
method is very satisfactory To build
the bank or pit select some well
drained location. and. several weeks
! before the potatoes are to be
dug, build q shed. The soil under
! the shed should be a number of inch
es, say, foot. higher than the soil
on the outside. This lessons the
chances of moisture rising up to the
potatoes Make the soil where the
potatoes are to be piled into a plate or
saucer shape. then pile over this
| layer of dry straw or leaves four to
six inches deep Now construct two
boxes of 1x6 material and bore two
inch holes in them on all sides at in
tersals of Is inches to two feet. These
should be placed, one horizontally
across the bed and the other joined 10
it. but placed in vertical position.
There must, Of course, be a passage
way for air from one box to the other.
Pile Potatoes Carefully.
AS soon as the potatoes are dug and
have dried a while they should be
carried to the storage pit and carefully
piled in cone shape about the box
ing 1t is thought best not to put
over 40 to so bushels in the same pit.
When the potatoes are placed in the
bank, simply cover over with a light
covering of straw or leaves and allow
them to remain in this way for ten
days or two weeks in order to thor
oughly dry out. 1t is during this dry
ing or sweating process that SC many
Of our potatoes rot. AS the weather
! turns colder layer Of boards or corn
stalks should be placed over the straw
and thin covering of dirt placed over
this. BY the time the weather be-
comes freezing cold the ends of the
ventilator boxes should be closed and
the dirt piled on until it is four to six
inches deep.
Wood Storehouses.
The man who grows potatoes on a
large scale for commercial purposes
ssould build regular storage
ouse. The wooden or frame
structures are by far the most com
mon In this state. They are built with
double walls having six or eight-inch
space between the walls. This space
may be filled with dry sawdust, or if
made practically air tight, may be left
with the space untitled. If the floor
of the building is made Of concrete,
so much the better. Bins in the
houses are of different sizes. but pos
sibly about as good aisle as any
would be about six feet long. four feet
wide, and two and one-half to three
feet deep, Bins are placed one above
another, with possibly a six-inch space
between them. When built in small
sizes this way the air can circulate
more readily among the potatoes. and
damage done by bruising is not so
great as when the bins are made eight
to ten feet square. A six-inch space
should be left between the bins and
the floor When the potatoes are
placed in the house the temperature
should be raised to 80 to IS degrees
and held thus for week or ten days
for the purpose Of drying out the sur
plus moisture. If potatoes begin to
sprout the temperature should be low
cred to SIS to 20 degrees. The heating
is usually done by means of q wood
stove, or, in the Fort Smith district,
| by gas stoves. After the drying is
complete the temperature of the house
should be kept as near so to SIS de
grees as possible.
Provide ventilation by means of side
windows and by flues through The toy