The Ronan pioneer., 1917-08-24
HOW TO PREPARE
POTATO STORAGE
ALLOW YOUR POTATOES To nRy
SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE
STORING THEM.
Should BE Sound, Free From Disease,
and Cut as Little as Possible in
Digging; Watch for Field Frost:
How to Build a Good Potato Cellar.

Many sections of Montana are this
year growing more potatoes than
they will consume which means that
this surplus must be all thrown upon
the market early this fall unless some
means of storage is provided. The
question of storage is also highly i'm
portant because of the Congestion of
freight and the difficulty of securing
cars for loading. Potato growers
should protect themselves by prepar-
ing for storage on the farm. Storage
facilities for the perishable product
such as potatoes is necessary if full
returns are to be obtained. Storage
becomes additionally important when
danger from frost is considered and
because of the fact that many of the
potatoes ordinarily sold locally will
have to be shipped on account of the
increased production IN towns and
villages.
Put Half Crop Away.
Storage facilities should be provid-
ed on the farm for at least half of the
crop for over winter and for most of
the crop for temporary period in
the fall. With such storage provided
the crop can be dug more quickly as
time is saved in hauling and the po-
tatoes can be held in the farm storage
until cars are available for shipping
or over winter. This may eliminate
much loss by removing the danger of
field frost. Storage should not be
provided wholly for the sake of in
suring higher price( which is not
always certain. but to prevent the
loss of any of the crop and to allow
for it's marketing after the seasons
work is over.
Potatoes intended for storage
should be sound, relatively free from
disease, cut as little as possible in
digging, perfectly dry and unfrosted.
In order to have them sound and dry
leave the potatoes exposed to the sun
for several hours after digging before
they are picked up.
Throughout most of Montana pota-
toes should be put into storage be-
tween the 18th of September and the
1st of October Later in the season
there is great danger of frost that
may do serious damage. Field frost
is not always noticeable at digging
time but the effects of it will appear
in storage.
The Potato Cellar.
If a good permanent cellar or ware
house is not available the temporary
cellar or the earth pit are good SUBJ
stitutes. The temporary cellar is
built by digging a hole and covering
it with a roof which is covered over
in winter with at least four feet or
more of packed straw. The cellar
should face south or east and should
be located on we'll drained spot
An ordinary earth pit furnishes an
excellent place for storing potatoes.
1t should be located on well drained
land where there is no danger of the
pit filling with water during heavy
fall rains. The pit should be about
four feet deep and five or six feet
wide. A pit four feet deep and six
feet wide will hold 100 bushels for
every five feet of it's length. A VEN
tilator eight by eight inches and three
feet long should be put into the top
of the filled pit extending down into
the potatoes a depth of about one
foot. There should be one of these
ventilators about every eight feet.
Cover the potatoes with thin layer
Of straw till there is danger of frost.
Put on successive layers of straw and
dirt as needed when the weather be-
comes colder. When finally covered
for winter, stuff the ventilator full of
straw. The layer of straw and dirt
should extend out at least six feet
from the sides of the pit and should
be at least four feet deep when pack
I'D. A ditch should be dug on each
side of the edge of the straw and
earth covering to drain off any ex-
cess water. -