90 



easily run deep enough to prevent cutting and bruis- 

 ing the potatoes. The pronged mould board of this 

 digger separated the potatoes from the soil, thus pre- 

 venting unnecessary handling. Neither the common 

 "scooter" or Dixie turning plow is satisfactory, as they 

 bruise and cut too many of the potatoes found deep 

 in the ground. In dry, hard ground, digging was made 

 easier by barring off one side and then running the dig- 

 ger under the row. 



Baskets lined with old sacks were used in gathering 

 as they prevented bruising and breaking the skin. Hay 

 was placed in the wagon bed in lieu of springs and the 

 potatoes were hauled to the storage house in the bas- 

 kets to reduce handling to a minimum. 



TIME OF HARVESTING 



Table I. shows the average date of the first killing 

 frost for Alabama for four years, prior to the date of 

 the beginning of these experiments. The date of the 

 first killing frost for 1914 at Auburn was November 

 20th; for 1915, November 16th; and for 1916, Novem- 

 ber 16th, This shows conclusively that it is not safe 

 to wait later than November 1st to begin harvesting a 

 large crop. 



Table I. 



Huntsville, Alabama October 25th 



Birmingham, Alabama November 1st 



Montgomery, Alabama November 10th 



Mobile, Alabama November 20th 



FILLING THE BINS 



A fire was started in the storage house and doors, 

 windows, and ventilators opened the day before dig- 

 ging was begun, to raise the temperature and expel ex- 

 cess moisture. The potatoes were hauled in each day 

 as soon as dry. No sorting or grading was done in the 

 field. (But should be done for best results.) The 

 workmen filled the back of the bins first and 

 all to the same depth when possible rather than 

 filling one bin at a time, since the potatoes would cure 

 slowest at the bottom where the cold moist air would 

 naturally settle. A slatted partition was put across 

 the middle of the long bins, thus permitting the back 

 of the bins to be filled without walking over the pota- 

 toes in front. The partition was made in sections and 

 set in against the cleats as the bins were filled. The 

 partition across the middle of the bins and the gates 



