HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



STORAGE OF POTATOES 



Some of the following facts are taken 

 from an article on the Storage of Seed 

 Potatoes by John Bushnell of the Ohio 

 Experiment Station but they apply equal- 

 ly as well to the storage of potatoes for 

 table stock. 



In studying the storage of potatoes it 

 must be remembered that for two months 

 or more after han'est, potatoes are in a 

 true dormant stage. During this resting 

 period they will not sprout even if plant- 

 ed in a green house. Hence, in practical 

 storage there is seldom any difficulty in 

 keeping potatoes during the fall. Pota- 

 toes which are infected with rots should 

 never be stored. 



Temperature Requirements 



After this resting stage, the potatoes 

 will begin to sprout unless kept at a 

 temperature below 41° F. Actual experi- 

 ment by physiological investigators has 



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shown that the mimimum shrinkage oc- 

 curs at a temperature near 38°F. By 

 means of ventilation and the use of a 

 portable heater when the weather is too 

 cold, the storage should be kept at 36- 

 38 °F. Potatoes planted from a storage 

 held at 36-38° F. have consistently out- 

 yielded potatoes stored at 33°F. or above 

 41°F. 



The lower limit is set at 36° owing to 

 the fact that potatoes generate a small 

 amount of heat therefore the tubers in 

 the center of a pile may be at a tempera- 

 ture 3-5° higher than at the surface. 

 Ventilation 



The storage should allow for intakes 

 and outakes of equal cross sectional area 

 and for facilities by which these may be 

 closed tightly when necessary. Ventilation 

 through the pile by means of a slatted 

 floor and sides should be provided if pos- 

 sible. All ventilators and doors should be 

 screened to keep out rats. Insulated 

 walls will allow one to keep a more uni- 

 form temperature. 



During Fall and Spring especially, 

 the doors and ventilators .should be open- 

 ed on cool nights to lower the temperature 

 and closed tightly during warm days. The 

 fact that potatoes will stand a tempera- 

 ture of 29 °F. without freezing should en- 

 able one to get the temperature down to 

 36°-38°F. Light should be excluded from 

 potatoes stored as table stock. 



I 



Merritt Clark 8C Co. 



Clothiers, Furnishers 



and 



Hatters 



HART SCHAFFNER AND 

 MARX CLOTHES 



144 Main Street 

 NORTHAMPTON, MASS. 



CONTROL OF RATS 



Few farmers realize how many rats 

 their farms actually hold, say rodent con- 

 trol specialists, due to the fact that rats 

 are most active at night when the farmer 

 hasn't a chance to see them. Some idea 

 of the number of rats a farm may have 

 can be obtained from reports received by 

 the rodent control offices. 



! One farm in Massachusetts reports 350 

 killed in two weeks. A Rhode Island 

 farm reports 47 taken from under one 



[ small poultry house. In Ohio, a farmer 



! reported more than 1,750 killed in five 

 weeks. This did not include those which 

 were killed in the holes by the use of gas. 

 An estate in England reported more than 

 35,000 killed in a season. The number of 

 rats in a litter varies from eight to four- 

 teen, the average being ten. Rats begin 

 to breed when three or four months old 

 and have six to eight litters per year on 

 the average. 



Thorough cleanliness and orderliness 



; about the farm buildings is the first es- 

 sential in keeping down rats. Old wood- 

 piles, trash, and garbage dumps are fine 

 breeding places for these pests. With no 

 place to feed and no easy hiding place, the 

 rats usually seeks other quarters. 



Making buildings and shelters rat 

 proof is the second essential in chasing 

 the rats from your farm. But once in- 

 fested the necessity arises of using other 

 means. 



Poisoning, trapping, and using poison 

 gas are the most common methods in use. 

 Even the old Flivver can be used to good 

 advantage. 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 1302, "How to 

 Get Rid of Rats," may be obtained from 

 the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C. Inquiries 

 sent to E. M. Mills, Fernald Hall, Am- 

 herst, Mass., or to your county agricul- 

 tural agent at Northampton, Mass., will 

 bring you further suggestions as to how 

 these pests may be held in check. 



The insect pests and diseases of crops, 

 in this country take an average annual 

 toll of 20 per cent of the value of the 

 crops. They have become established 

 more generally and constitute a growing 

 tax on production and greater skill and 

 cost in controlling them. 



Concrete 

 Dams 

 Save Soil 

 and Prevent 

 Gullying 



Millions of acres of val- 

 uable land are rendered 

 useless by erosion each 

 year,according to the U. 

 S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Dams, properly built at 

 the right location, will 

 save and restore much 

 of this wasted land. 



Build your own 

 Dam w^here needed 



Gullying of your land can be 

 prevented permanently by build- 

 ing a concrete dam according 

 to simple instructions clearly 

 written and illustrated in our 

 booklet "Soil Saving Dams." 

 Plans are included. 



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PORTLAND CEMENT 

 ASSOCIATION 



A national organization to improve ond 

 extend the uses of concrete 



10 High Street 

 BOSTON 



Concrete for Permanence 



