The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-24
STORE THE POTATO
FOR coNSERV
ING THE coUNTRY's SUPPLY.
Government Officials Tell Of the EA
ciiities That Have Been Provided
Complete Plan Of Action
Has Been Mapped Out.

Neutrality-suspicious. of conserving
the nations potato supply in the most
effective manner have been worked
out by food administration officials.
They have issued the following state
ment:
Unusual facilities for financing stor
age are offered American potato grow
ers as a 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, 9O-day loans from member
banks of the reserve system at n rate
lot. to exceed 6 per cent. Mr.. Lou D.
Sweet, potato expert with the food ad-
.niniStratiOn, was instrumental In
bringing this matter to the reserve
boards attention.
New England growers have started
l movement to take advantage of his
ruling to help them solve their market
ng problem. The prospect which the
growers of this group Of states face
$ that of handling 45,OOO,OoO bushels
If potatoes-one-tenth of the entire
United States crop-without causing
an O~verstocked market and the result
.ng loss of all profit on the crop.
The growers communicated with To-
:al authorities In their respective
states, who in turn laid the situation
before the food administration A 0 IN
ference between the growers. local au-
thOritieS and experts from the fOod
administration was held recently at
Boston, Mass. A plan Of action was
mapped out ut his meeting which In
,ludes the following:
/. Marketing of only one-third Of the
crop at harvest time; another third In
80 days, or placing in storage and later
distributed as 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 II
n that are bruised. 1t was recom-
mended that a wire screen grader be
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 shocking and bruising.
3. Increasing the load in each rail
road car from the normal 10000
pounds. That these cars can be nn-
loaded within "a to Sc hours of their
arrival at destination.
4. That municipalities and other
bodies provide storage for as large
quantities MS possible at the peak OF
the harvest.
"A storage house," said Lou n.
Sweet, who attended this meeting,
"such rs will conform to the require
ments laid down by the Federal Reserve
board. does not call for n specially con
structed house. There are innumer-
able buildings, which, if properly
cleaned, ventilation provided, and man.
aged so as to maintain a temperature
of about 30 degrees, will answer ad-
mirably for this purpose.
This year the United States planted
It's potato crop from the poorest quail
ity of seed that eve 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-
ton of potatoes"