The Carlisle independent., 1920-10-21
PROPER HARVESTING IMPERA, TIVE IN SUCCESSFUL P0TA
 TO STORAGE

Sweet potatoes intended for stor. age should be dug as late in the fall as jS consistent with weather condi- tions. The proper time for digging is usually just before or immediately after the first killing frost, advises w. H. Laney, assistant agent in mar keting of the Agricultural Extension Division, University of Arkansas.
 Heavy frost is apt to injure the po- tatoes that are exposed and for that reason it is best to dig during warm, dry, sunny weather after the color ing of the vines which indicates that the potatoes are about mature, points out MT. Laney. Fields should be gone over carefully before the actual dig ging begins and each hill that shows any symptoms of stem-rot, foot-rot, should be removed root and branch, from the field to prevent any possi- bility of bringing diseased potatoes into the curing house when the crop is harvested.
 Proper harvesting is imperative for success in keeping potatoes in stor- age. Careful handling is extremely important at all times. Handling po- tatoes roughly by pitching them from TOW to TOW, dropping them into crates or baskets, permitting them to fall from crates or baskets, shaking them roughly, pouring from one container to another, hauling in bulk in wagon beds, or on wagons without springs, walking over or permitting the team to walk over the rows while digging, will skin and bruise the potatoes, which not only ruins the appearance but opens the way for attacks of di- seaSe.
 Bruised or skinned potatoes, to- gether with all potatoes that are di- seased i'll shaped or cut should be culled out and used for feed.
 For digging sweet potatoes the or dinary large two-horse turning blow with a rolling colter fitted to the beam so as to extend out a little to the left of the beam and adjusted to go into the ground about one inch is as good an implement as can be se- cured for the work The horses draw ing this blow should walk between the rows so as not to step on and bruise the potatoes. The colter will cut the vines on the left side of the row about four to six inches to the left of the hills, and the large turn ing blow running a few inches to the left of the hills and deep enough to go under the potatoes will turn the whole TOW out with the furrow. Sev- eral rows should be left between this furrow and the one plowed back across the field and the blowing should be done in such way as to keep the team off the potatoes and give the helpers time enough to move them without interfering with the op- eration of the blow.
 The potatoes should be picked by hand and placed in small piles. They should be left on the ground for few hours, if the weather will permit, un- til they are dry. Then the rows should be gone over carefully and the potatoes sorted. The sound, smooth potatoes ranging from one and three fourth to four inches in diameter should be placed in crates for storage. Those ranging from one to one and three-fourth inches in diameter, should | be placed in other crates and saved for seed The remainder should be left for feed.
 When the crates are filed they | should be placed on every other row so that a wagon can be driven be- tween them for loading and hauling to the curing plant. The filled crates can be stacked in curing plant thus eliminating additional handling Po- tatoes are handled but little when this method is followed and should cure well and keep almost indefinite ly in a good curing plant.