122 THE POTATO, 



CHAPTEK XV. 



STORING POTATOES. 



A GREAT bulk of the late potato crop is not marketed 

 straight from the field, but is stored for disposal during the 

 winter and spring. Seed potatoes, also, have to be stored 

 in such a way as to keep them sound and safe from frost 

 until they are wanted for planting. The chief essential 

 for successful storing is that the potatoes be well matured 

 before being lifted, as unripe tubers do not store well. 

 In the southern parts of the country there is no difficulty 

 about this, as the haulm dies off early, and the crop quickly 

 matures or ripens ; but further north the life of the crop 

 is longer, and the haulm is often found green when the 

 lateness of the season and the fear of frost necessitate 

 lifting. In such cases, recourse is occasionally had to 

 mowing or cutting the haulm a few weeks before lifting, 

 which has the same effect in ripening the tubers as if the 

 haulm had died down naturally. This plan is seldom 

 necessary, however, as in most cases where the haulm lives 

 long, the first frost kills it off in time for the tubers to 

 mature and be lifted before there is a danger of frosts 

 severe enough to injure them. 



Picking: out Unsound Potatoes.. Another very 

 important point in successful storing is to make sure that 

 no tubers showing signs of disease or unsoundness are in- 

 cluded amongst those to be stored. These must be care- 

 fully picked out and burnt, or they may be fed to pigs. 

 They should on no account be thrown about the field, or 

 they may carry infection to future crops grown on the 



