HARVESTING AND MARKETING 89 



It is well when grading to grade as though you were buying 

 the stock yourself. Every grower has his particular way 

 of digging, but whether it be with plow, digger or hook, do 

 not cut or bruise the tubers or throw them into piles, as they 

 will rot easily if handled roughly. If grading for market 

 while digging, the potatoes should be allowed to dry before 

 being sacked, so the soil will not adhere to them, making 

 them rough looking. However, they should never stay in 

 the sun too long. Such treatment causes the tender tubers 

 to green and decay quickly. 



If potatoes are not marketed immediately they should 

 be kept in a cool, dry, shady place and covered so that the 

 light, air or sun may not strike them. If it does they will 

 turn green, and, in so doing, a chemical change takes place 

 in the cortical layer, making the potato unpalatable, the 

 flavor being rather sweetish, and sometimes bitter. 



In harvesting the early crop in particular, it is best to 

 harvest before maturity that is, before the vines are dry, 

 so the disease cannot enter the tuber through the stem. In 

 so doing the tubers will keep longer for seed or for market- 

 able purposes. 



As to the quality of the potato, I may say that all con- 

 ditions of environment that lead to the normal development 

 of a healthy, mature potato contribute toward its quality. 

 The potato planted in soil three inches deep is of poorer 

 quality than those planted from five to seven inches deep. 

 I find that when they are planted from five to seven inches 

 deep the temperature is of more uniformity during the grow- 

 ing season than at shallower depths. Not only does the depth 

 at which the potato is planted determine its quality, but the 

 fertilizer, season and variety as well. 



Fertilizers have a decided influence over the quality of 

 the potato, as they aid in producing a normal development 



