The Arvada enterprise., 1917-08-23
T0C0NSERVE POTATO
Officials Of Food Administration
Give Advice.
Unusual Facilities for Financing 8tor.
age Have Been Arranged and
Comprehensive Plan Of Action
10 Recommended.

Washlngton.-Offlcia 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 a result OF war conditions. The
federal reserve system is ut their dis
pOsal and farmers who store their 1917
potato crop In approved local ware.
houses, may obtain. upon their storage
receipts, 0O-day loans from member
banks of the reserve system ut a rate
not to exceed q per cent. Mr.. Lou ID.
Sweet, potato expert with the food ad-
minlstratiOn. 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,OOO.OOO bushels
Of pOtatOes-One-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 ut
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
90 days, or placing In storage and later
distributed us 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-
mended that wire screen grader be
used-One and 'seven-eigh ghths-inch mesh
for OblOng tubers and two-inch mesh
|
be placed in good twO-bushel sacks-
one hundred and fifteen pounds to tn,
sack-and the sacks sewed tightly =,
as to prevent shucking and bruising.
3. Increasing the load in each rail
road car from the normal 5000
pounds. That these cars can be un
loaded within ~ to 81 hours OF thei
arrival ut destination.
A. That municipalities and Othe
bodies provide storage for as lnrg
quantities as possible NJ the peak q
the harvest.
"A storage house." said Lou I
Sweet, who attended this meeting
"such MS will conform to the require
ments laid down by the Federal Reserv
board. does not cnll for IA specially con
structed house. There are innumer
able buildings, which, If pr0perl
| cleaned. ventilation provided, and man
aged so MS to maintain Temperature
Of about rs degrees, will answer nd
mirably for this purpose.
"This year the United States plnnte,
It's potato crop from the poorest qual
ity OF seed that ever went Into tn
ground. and naturally the harvest will
be potatoes Of poor quality. Stric
grading. careful packing, common
sense storage. and careful shipping ar,
necessary to insure Just returns to thu
growers who have responded to thu
presidents call for Increased prOduc
| tiOn of potatoes"