The Monticellonian., 1917-08-23
TOC0NSERVE POTATO
Officials of Food Administration
 Give Advice.
Unusual Facilities for Financing Stor. age Have Been Arranged and . Comprehensive Plan of Action
 Is Recommended.

Washington.-Ofiic of the food statement concerning the steadying of potato prices, especially important just now:
 Unusual facilities for financing stor- age are offered American potato grow CTS as Il 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 6 per cent. Mir. Lou D. Sweet, potato expert with the food ad- 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 45,000,0O0 bushels of potatoes-one-tenth of the entire United States crop-without causing an oyerstocked market and the result ing loss of all profit on the crop.
 The growers communicated with lo- cal authorities in their respective states, who in turn laid the situation before the food administration. A con- ference between the growers, local au- thorfties 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:
 l. Marketing of only One-third of the crop at harvest time; another third in 90 days. or placing in storage and later distributed as demand affords oppor- tunity; the remaining third to pc stored by the grower and marketed throughout the year.
 ?. All potatoes to he graded with care, taking out culls, cuts, cracks and any that are bruised. It was recom- mended that wire screen grader De used-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 30,0oO pounds That these cars can be un- loaded within 24 to 36 hours of their arrival at destination.
 1. 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 not call for specially con strncted house. There are innumer- able buildings, which, if properly cleaned. ventilation provided. and man. aged so as to maintain temperature of about 8 degrees will answer ad- mirably for this purpose.
 This year the United States planted it's potato crop from the poorest qual- 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"