Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-08-24
TOC0NSERVE POTATO
Officials Of Food Administration
Give Advice.
Unusual Facilities for Financing Stor.
age Have Been Arranged and
Comprehensive Plan OF Action
Is Recommended.

Observation-Disclosures of the foot
administration gave out the folowIn,
statement concerning the steadylng Of
potato prices, especially important JUS
now:
Unusual facilities for financing stor
age are offered American potato grow
ers as n 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 o per cent. Mr. Lou ID.
sweet, potato expert with the food ad-
mlnlstration, was Instrumental in
bringing this matter to the reserve
boards attention.
New England growers have started
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,O0O.OO0 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 10.
cal authorities in their respective
states. who In turn laid the situation
before the food administration A con.
ference between the growers, local au.
thorlties aud experts from the food
administration was held recently at
Boston, Mass. A plan of action was
mapped out nj this meeting which In
cludes the following
!. Marketing of only one-thIrd Of the
crop at harvest time; another third in
10 days, or placing In storage and later
distributed as demand affords oppor-
tunlty, 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-eighths-inch mesh
for ohlong tuberS and two.lnch 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
aN 10 prevent Smoking and bruising.
B. Increasing the load in each rail-
road ear from the normal 10000
pounds. That these cars can he un.
loadcd within n to 80 hours OF their
AT destination.
!. That municipalities and other
bodies provide storage for as large
quantities as possible ut the peak of
the harvest.
"A storage house" said Lou u.
Sweet who attended this meeting.
such as will conforA TO the require.
me-" laid down by the Federal Reserve
b does not call for a specially con
81 d house. There are innumer.
able buildings. which If properly
LEANED, ventilation provided, and man.
lged so ms to maintain temperature
# about rs degrees, will answer al.
nirably for this purpose
This year the United States planted
Is potato crop from the poorest qual.
~ of seed that ever went into the
round. and naturally the harvest will
'e potatoes of poor quality. Strict
careful packing, common.
en>e storage, and careful shipping are
Necessary to insure just returns IN the
'rowers who have responded to the
residents call for increased produc.
ion of potatoes"