252 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



Particularly careful handling is required for storage potatoes. The 

 crop ranges from 50 to 125 crates per acre. Fifty crates are held 

 to generally just about pay the cost of production. 



For Stock Feeding. Cull sweet potatoes have been utilized as 

 a hog feed for several years; and experience has shown that at 

 $3.50 a wagon load they are an economical feed. L. D. Collins, of 

 Denair, Stanislaus county, aims to make them available longer by 

 running them through a root-shredder and drying them on fruit trays. 

 In hot or windy weather they dry quickly and can then be stored 

 in sacks. The fruit trays were not altogether satisfactory as they 

 retain moisture; and that tends to rot the potatoes unless the trays 

 are turned. To overcome this Mr. Collins uses wire screen on a 

 frame, allowing the air free circulation all around. The loss in 

 weight in drying is about 60 per cent, depending somewhat on the 

 length of time the potato has been dug. In Mr. Collins' experience 

 in feeding fresh potatoes he has found that his hogs will consume 

 three times as much weight of fresh sweets as they will barley, 

 and do better on them. 



Varieties. Probably all the improved varieties have been in- 

 troduced in California. The California demand is for a variety 

 which is rather dry and mealy when cooked, although the softer, 

 sweeter sorts have some advocates. The most common variety is 

 called the Calif ornian but it is a Chinese sort introduced in early 

 days. The Southern Queen and the Nansemoncls are also popular, 

 and the Jersey Red is grown to some extent in southern California. 



