The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-05-07
THE SWEET POTATO
STORAGE HOUSE

1t has been estimated that from
rs to SO per cent. of all sweet DO.
tatoes stored in banks or pits in the
South are lost through rot, some
times the loss is even greater. Per-
haps 80, per cent. Of the farmers
of Abbeville. county have had to
buy sweet potato seed this year be-
cause they could not keep them in
banks. They had to give anywhere
from $3.50 to $500 per bushel for
all they bought and they were
scarce at that price. There are
enough potatoes lost in AbbeyiIe
county each year to almost pay for
storage houses to store them IN,
and you have the house for several
years in the future.
To put up a sweet potato storage
house is. very simple and inexpen-
sive considering the amount lost
through rotting. For example, to
construct a house that will hold 500
or 600 bushels of potatoes will re-
quire SITS board feet of lumber,
costing at the present prices around
$4,000. The building paper, roof
ing material, brick, lime, hinges,
nails, and stove will not cost more
than $4,000, making the house cost
when the materials are bought,
around $4,000. Most of the farm
ers own the timber and will only
have to pay for the cost of the
saving, which will make the house
cost much less. Considering the
price of potatoes at $3.50 per bush
ell, and the loss at SO per cent. we
can see how much they are worth.
If the house cost $4,000 and saves
$50 bushels, or the amount that
would rot if banked, there is a saw.
ing the first year of $500. If we
take the price of potatoes at $1.00
per bushel and the loss at rs per
cent. or 125 bushels. we then save
through the storge house $125.0O,
which will pay for the house if the
farmers own the timber and have it
sawed and potatoes are worth more
than $1.00 per bushel.
To keep potatoes requires three
things. The potatoes must be kept
dry to keep out bacteria and fungi.
They must be supplied with air, so
they can breathe and they must be
kept warm so they will not freeze.
A storage house then must be built
above the ground, must be air tight,
ventilated; and must have a Chin
ney. The potatoes must be cured
by means of a stove, by keeping q
temperature of from 85 to 90 de-
grees for ten days. After the po-
'tatoes are dried out the heating is
discontinued and a temperature Of
IS degrees. retained and regulated
by the ventilators. In the cold win
ter days it might be necessary to
put fire in the stove for the coolest
days and nights. MI. W. J. Frank
lin kept his house warm enough
last winter by using a lamp in the
house.
There are farmers in California
shipping sweet potatoes to Georgia
and carrying away their money sim
ply because they cured their pota-
toes by the above method. These
farmers can keep their potatoes If
they will only construct sweet po-
tatoes storge houses, and why not
do it?
If a farmer does not make enough
potatoes to fill a house, then the
thing to do is for several farmers
to build one comparatively. We
have got to come to that eventually
anyway, and the sooner the better.
In union there is strength, in union
there is prosperity also.
In this day and time when the
world is looking to America for
food, we should do all we a to
allow nothing to 60 to waste. The
South lost around 25,O00,000 BUSH
els of potatoes every year worth
S3O,OOO,O0O Clemson College will
give you all the information you