The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-01-16

prepared by the United States Depart
| ment of Agriculture.)
In the big battle which he wage:
every winter to destroy portion Of
mankind's food stores, Jack Fros
finds the careless shipper of potatoes
an effective ally. Potatoes, sweet anG
white, are shipped to market in large
quantities throughout the cold season
and demand thorough protection
since touch of frost renders them
practically worthless. While the farm
err himself is not directly responsible
for faulty shipment if he sells to a
dealer who does the loading, he is in a
deal If he understands how to protect
winter consignments properly. If the
crop is being marketed on a commits
sion basis the grower is sure to suffer
the brunt of the losses when the frost
gets in effective work.
The directions for preparing box
car for potato shipments given here
with are in accord with recommends
lions of the bureau of markets, and
apply to winter shipments Of sweet
potatoes destined for northern points,
as well as to white potatoes.
Importance of Circulation.
A stove will warm enough air to pro-
feet car of potatoes from freezing
even in severe weather, providing the
car lining is built and kept in such a
condition that the warm air can get
down to the floor and sides where 1t
is needed. To accomplish this COM
pIete air passage must be formed en-
tirely around the load. When pOta-
toes are loaded in bulk it is necessary
to construct what are in effect two
bins one on either side of the central
area where the stove is placed, II the
shipment is likely to pass through Sc
we're weather. In many cases, OF
course, it is entirely safe to ship with
out artificial heat in the car.
Before constructing the bins, the
walls and ceiling of the car itself must
be covered with building paper. Fol-
lowing this false floor is laid on sup
ports running lengthwise, thereby Gre
ating air channels 4 to 6 inches deep,
beneath the false floor from
where they connect with vertical air
passages formed by false walls built
TO 6 inches from the car ends. Likewise,
false walls are built few inches from
the sides and a false door is erected
at one side for stovepipe. Bulk
heads are put across the car at either
side of the door to form well for the
'tove. These walls. as well as the CEN
-er bulkheads, rise well toward the
telling. The bins are lined with pa
Der. the same as the car walls. The
'alse floor supports permit the cool air
o settle below the false floor and to
move toward the base of the stove
where it rises as 1t is heated and cir
.ulates towards the end of the car,
between the load and the ceiling.
Material Needed for Lining.
A rough estimate of the lumber and |
,aper required to line an 8 by S1s by |
6 foot car, with doors feet wide, Is
S follows:
10 pieces by inches by IA feet long.
8 pieces by s inches by 16 feet long.
1900 square feet of 1-inch lumber. IS |
eet long.
ESQ square feet of building paper.
The 10 "two-by-fours" should be
awed in half making 26 pieces Z feet /
Dng. Six inches should be sawed off
he length of each of the eight 2 by 6
lch pieces. Enough of the 16-foot
cards should be sawed into S-foot
sngths TO make total width OF 81
set of S-foot boards. and other of
lese boards sawed into 6-foot lengths
} make total width Of feet. This
ill leave q few 4-foot lengths. One
DOT should be sawed off the remaining 4
3-foot boards, leaving them Is feet
ing. This lumber is oil that Is re-
aired by an experienced loader to
equip car with false walls
nd bulkheads Detailed directions,
lsiiy understood. are contained In
arkets Document II, issued by the
nited States department of agricul-
re.
Proper Placing Of Load.
The shipper of potatoes must re-
ember that they should not be loaded i
ose enough to the ceiling to block
rculation. There must be a large,
opening for the warm Z
r to pass down to the floor after It I
s spread the length Of the ceiling
ON the heater. The circulation IL
NV and labored, and to limit 1t BY I
Ing the sacks 50 they extend beyond r
e false walls causes serious inter
renee. In placing the sacks on the
Ise floor next to the walls, care Z
ould be taken to set them few n
chez from Thee partitions. since =