Harvesting the Potato Crop. 195 



top of potatoes some. With the care I have spoken of, there is 

 little of this, and it soon dries off and the potatoes cool down 

 and keep all right. Of course, if there was rot in the crop 

 there would be trouble, but sound, cool potatoes will keep all 

 right. Remember, this is not theory. I have put up thousands 

 of bushels, year after year, in just this way. Once I took two 

 big loads to a grocer on a boiling hot day in August. He wanted 

 to store them in cellar for winter, but was afraid. I told him to 

 follow my directions and I would warrant them. He carried 

 them down cellar and emptied carefully in a bin some three feet 

 deep. The next day when I called he was greatly alarmed. 

 Said those potatoes were going to rot down. I went down to 

 look at them and found them quite wet on top, as I expected, as 

 it was a cool cellar. The man wanted to take them right up 

 stairs and sell them at once. I told him to open windows so a 

 little air could pass through and dry them off, and let them alone. 

 That was the end of the trouble. He said half a dozen or so 

 right on top that were wet too long rotted, but the rest were nice 

 and fresh in the winter when he used them. I have not had much 

 experience with rot, and am not sorry. When we did have it, it 

 came in August, and I just let them lie and rot in the ground 

 until the thing was over, then dug what was left. I would not 

 like to store large quantities of diseased potatoes. 



