354 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



or three experienced men can do the sorting and grading at the house 

 in a much shorter time and in a more satisfactory manner. 



Before starting to fill a bin, 2 or 3 inches of dry pine needles, 

 straw, or chaff should be placed upon the floor. Beginning at the 

 back of the bin the potatoes are piled to a depth of 30 or 40 inches 

 until the entire floor space is covered and a number of slats are 

 required to be placed across the doorway opening. A few grain bags 

 filled with straw should be placed upon the potatoes at intervals from 

 front to back of the bin, and upon these planks on which the men 

 may walk while carrying in the next layer of potatoes may be laid. 

 In this way a bin may be filled to a depth of 8 or 9 feet by about 

 three layers. By dumping them in layers the potatoes have an oppor- 

 tunity to become thoroughly dry before a new layer is placed over 

 them. 



Temperature and Ventilation of Storage Houses. Two or three 

 days before beginning to bring in the potatoes, the storage house 

 should be thoroughly cleaned and the heating appliance put in work- 

 ing order and started, in order to have the house both warm and dry 

 when the crop comes in. Throughout the time of storing and for 

 about ten days after the potatoes are all in the bins a temperature of 

 85 or 90 F. should be maintained in the house, with plenty of 

 ventilation. This constitutes what is known as the sweating or curing 

 process, and the keeping qualities of the potatoes depend upon the 

 thoroughness with which this part of the work is done. Wood- 

 burning stoves are frequently employed for heating sweet potato 

 storage houses, but a hot-water boiler with coils of pipes along the 

 walls of the building is very satisfactory. 



After the crop is all in and thoroughly cured, the temperature of 

 the storage house should be gradually lowered and may vary between 

 55 and 65 F., but considerable ventilation should be main- 

 tained. Sweet potatoes should be handled very carefully and as few 

 times as possible, the essentials to good keeping being a reasonable 

 degree of warmth, a dry atmosphere, and careful handling. Great 

 care should be taken with the seed for the next year's planting to see ' 

 that it is carefully handled and properly stored. While a temperature 

 of 80 or 85 F. is required to properly start the seed into growth 

 in the spring, a higher temperature during a long period of time in 

 storage is liable to injure or even kill the buds. Potatoes intended for 

 seed should not be stored in too great quantities, and where but a 

 small supply is needed they can often be kept buried in dry sand after 

 having first been thoroughly cured. The sand used for this purpose 

 should be baked to insure the driving off of moisture, and may be 

 placed around the potatoes while slightly warm. In controlling the 

 ventilation of the storage house during the winter months, outside 

 air should be admitted only when quite dry and when its temperature 

 is lower than that of the air in the storage house. If warm, moist air 

 is admitted considerable moisture will be deposited upon the potatoes, 

 thus injuring their keeping qualities. 



Loss from Shrinkage in Storage. Under proper storage condi- 

 tions sweet potatoes will shrink from 6 to 10 per cent, but the loss in 



