188 



apples, mangels, and potatoes, sweat or ferment when 

 collected together, but if they are in a dry condition, 

 and air is allowed to circulate through them, dangerous 

 fermentation is avoided. A special danger exists in 

 the case of potatoes put together in a moist condition, 

 because when they form part of a diseased crop the 

 spores are shaken on them in the course of digging. 

 These spores are harmless if there is no moisture 

 present, but the heat, together with the moisture 

 generated in the pit, afford specially favourable con- 

 ditions for the development of the disease, and it is 

 these causes which give rise to much of the " after-rot," 

 or rotting in the pits. Tubers in which disease is more 

 advanced also decay for the same reasons. 



Digging "Green" Potatoes. 



Potatoes are raised under two conditions " green " 

 or unripe, and ripe. When raised green it is necessary 

 to sell them at once, as the skin is tender, and they 

 are liable to injury from bruising. In addition to this 

 the skin is rubbed off and the market value deteriorated. 

 When dug green the object is to place them in the 

 market as " new potatoes," and to realise the special 

 prices which are usually obtainable in the early part of 

 the season. The tubers increase very much during 

 the period that the tops are dying down. As a rule, 

 particularly in the case of the later varieties and those 

 which carry a heavy haulm, at least one-third of the 

 weight of tubers is gained from the time the tops 

 reach maturity and die. Digging potatoes green 



