, 1917-08-23
T0CONSERVE POTATO
Officials ot Food Administratiops
~ give Advice. ~
unusuai Facilities for Financing stors
age Have Been Arranged and a
- Comprehensive Plan of Action -
EUOD ~ ReeomnendedDOTkHI

Washing,on.-oficlal of the food
administration gave out the following
statement CONCERNING the steadying of
Epofateaprices, especially Important just
--eausdaf facilities Dor financing stor-
-aee- are offered American potato grow
ers as g~ErespltssSf 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 a rate
not to exseea3e per cent, Mr.5Lou D.
Sweet, potato expert whit the food adj
minfstratton, Swast Instrumental in
bringing-tbis natter to- the reserve
boards attention.. AAVM
New England growers have started
a movements to take advantage of this
ruling to helpGthem solve their market
ing problem. The prospect which the
growers Of this group of states face
is that of handling Az, 100000 bushels
of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the entire
United States crop-without Acausfng
an ~overstocked market and the result
ling 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
ladminIstrdttonf Ras held recently at
Boston, Mass. A plan of action was
mapped out at this meeting which in
cludesy the followingf ajT --,+,-,r,,
l. Marketing Of only, one-third Of the
crop at harvest time another third In
90 days Or placing in storage and later
distributed las demand affords I6pper-
nftyf-the--remaining- -third-to-bs
stored by the grower and marketed
throughout the year.
2. All potatoes to be graded with
care, takingso out cubs. cuts cracks and
any that are bruised. 1t was recon-
mended that a wire screen grader be
used-one and even-eighthsinch 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.
d s. 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 conform to the require
ments laid down by the Federal Reserve
board, does moi call for a specially on
structed house. There are innumer-
able buildings, which, If properly
cleaned, ventilation provided, and man.
aged so as to maintain a temperature
of about 35 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-
tion of potatoes"