The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-25
CARE REQUIRED
STORING SPuDS
h Il -.
Growers Should See That No
Potatoes Go to Waste
's This Season.
CAN SPOIL MANY WAYS
insufficient Ventilation One
.Of Frequent Causes for
~ u ROtting.

~ " of great Importance that all tn,
potatoes raised this year should be
storeds under proper conditions. Ever
whsn Every rrecaution is taken, tho
wastagc of potatoes during the winter
is considerable: under bad conditions
of storage it is very great, indeed.
In, order that the best methods may
be adopted by the small growers. those
who have not had the experience in the
storage of potatoes should know the
chief causes of the wastagc. These
causes are
I. Sweating, heating and conse-
puent rot, oten due to insufficient
ventilation.
2. fRotttng, due to- potatoes getting
wettat tife7 time of putting them IN
storage.
B. Injury from frost
a. Decay, owing to disease in the
tubers at the time of storage.
s. Sprouting of tubers in the spring.
II is not possible to prevent alto
Sether losses from these causes, but
by using the best methods of storage
it is possible to reduce them very ma :
terially. ID 81
MS may De uOHe bN taxing care TO
guard against losses from each of these
causes:
L.. Sweating and heating occur if
the freshly dug potatoes are piled in
too large piles. so that the air cannot
circulate between the tubers. The risk
of Dss from this cause is greatest in
the fall. Immediately after the tubers
have been dug. and 1t is. therefore. i'm
portant that potatoes when dug should
not~be put in unnecessarily large piles,
nor kept in an ill-ventilated room
Rotting from getting the potatoes
wet: If the potatoes at the digging
time are allowed to get wet and to go
into storage in that condition, rotting
is sure to occur. Be careful to have
your potatoes dry before storing.
3. Injury from frost: Potatoes are
easily damaged by frost II they be-
come frozen, their market value is de-
stroyed. Therefore, take every pre-
caution to protect the tubers from the
froA before and after digging.
Several Diseases.
4. Disease: There arc several dis
cases of the potato which destroy the
with the sound oncs. the disease
spreads RAPIDLY: therefore it is neces
sary to sort the potatoes carefully,
eliminating all of the disease. the cuts.
culls and dirt before placing them into
permanent storage for the winter. All
of the cuts. cnlls. misshapen and dis
eased tnbers should be fed to the poul-
try and livestock, but should be
steamed or boiled before being fed as
in this way you increase the food value.
and also to destroy the germs Of the
disease, so that il will not get into the
manure and thence into the land
,. BY proper ventilation of the eel
lar or storage room, and by holding
the temperature as near 30 degrees T..
as possible. you can keep the potatoes
from sproutng. So,
Selection of Seed: Seed for next
years planting should be selected from
hills that produce all nice, true to type
potatoes. These should have been Sc
1ectcd at digging and stored separately
in crates or boxes and by storing them
in a well-lighted room where the tom
pcrature can be held at from "a to 40
degrees, with little ventilation and
this seed planted next spring. the grow
er will make a start toward improving
the quality of his potatoes instead of
as in the past, simply planting the culs
or runouts.-Lou d. Sweet head of po-
tato division, c. S. food administration