The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-10-16
STORAGE HOUSE
AWAITS SWEETS
Polk County Growers Of Sweet Pota.
toes Have Opportunity to Store and
Cure Tubers in the Modern Way
Suggestions for Harvesting.


Harvesting Of sweet potatoes is at
hand in Polk county, and with the ad-
vent Of dry weather many thousands
Of bushels Of the succulent tuber will
be garnered. For the first time in his
tory the local growers will have an
opportunity of storing and curing
their potatoes in latest and most eff
cient manner in public warehouse
specially designed and built for the
purpose.
In the past thousands o., bushels of
sweet potatoes have been wasted in
Polk county because Of the lack of
proper storage facilities. In addition
to this local lovers of the sweet tnbers
have been forced to pay extra high
prices in the spring, simply because
not enough Of the crop had been pre-
served thru the winter
With the Mena Potato Warehouse
now ready for business these twin
evils of the past can be avoided. Grow
ers will no longer be forced to take
chances Of storing their potatoes in
pits or corn cribs and lose heavily at
Tie sr.t sudden cold snan Neither
win the home consumer be forced to
depend on the shipped-in 'sweets"
when the harvest season is ended
The potato warehouse will serve a
double purpose therefore, in affording
growers an opportunity of saving
their potatoes thru the winter, and al
so giving the consumers chance to
buy home produced food product
The warehouse was built by COM
pany of Mena citizens vino desire to
help the city and country alike in de-
veloping the sweet potato industry.
Sweet potatoes are going to be one
Of the cash crops of the community
about Mena this fall. There has been
large acreage planted, and the
weather conditions thruout the sum
mer have been very favorable to the
development of the crop. The curing
.::s;:=s, :ss,, ; ;:.=. recently completed ie CON
structed according to government
plans, and will be operated under the
system which has proved effective
elsewhere.
The curing plant is located IN the
two-story building on Sherwood ave-
nue., opposite the depot. The lower
floor has been fitted up with two stor-
age bins, each having capacity Of
5 700 bushels The upper floor has a
capacity of 5000 bushels, but for the
present only two rooms have been fit
ted up The drying rooms are fitted
up with ventilators in the floor and
ceiling to secure free circulation OF
air and to regulate the temperature
The heat is now secured from two
wood stoves, but these are to be re-
placed later with coal stoves. The
stoves have been going for several
days, so that the interior of the build
ing may be thoroly dried out before
potatoes are stored Under the gov
ernment regulations it is proposed td
maintain a temperature Of 86 degrees
for period of IL to le days, at the
end of which time the potatoes are
supposed to be completely cured. and
from then on the temperature is to be
maintained at 81 to So degrees.
Claude Williford, the lessee Of t.
plant, proposes to buy potatoes at al
times at the market price, or else he
will grade and store them for the own
ers Mr.. Williford will accept pota-
toes as soon now as conditions win be
favorable for digging.
One of the main things to be OBJ
served in harvesting sweets IS to gath
er them when the ground is neither
too wet nor too dry. Careful attsn.
tion should be given them 70 prevent
bruising. Handle sweets as carefully
as eggs, is cardinal principle