234 The Potato 



one, and the larger of these potatoes roll down into a bag 

 at the end of that sieve. The very small potatoes and 

 pieces of dirt fall through the sorter on to the ground. 

 A horse can be attached to this sorter, and it can be drawn 

 around the field as the men pick. 



Other sorters of a more complicated type are often 

 used in grading potatoes, but most of these are too cum- 

 bersome to be hauled about for field sorting. 



Some potato-growers are heartily in favor of washing 

 potatoes after bringing them from the field. This is 

 done by the use of sprayers, and the potatoes are poured 

 on to racks to dry. Those who advocate washing claim 

 that it not only makes the tubers more marketable, but 

 that it also reduces the loss by rotting in storage. Other 

 growers insist that the labor of washing is not worth 

 while, and still others say that it is injurious to the potatoes 

 to wash them. Experimental evidence on these questions 

 is lacking. 



Labor and cost of harvesting 



It is difficult to make an exact estimate of the cost of 

 harvesting an acre of potatoes, because of the differences 

 in the methods, the skill of the laborers, the type of soil 

 and the size of the crop. Only approximate figures, there- 

 fore, can be given. 



If the digging is done by hand, i to i an acre can be 

 dug by a man in a day. Fraser ^ estimates the cost of 

 such digging at from two to six, or even eight, cents a 

 bushel. 



A machine will dig from 3 to 6 acres a day. If we 

 allow three dollars a day for the use of the team and 

 two dollars a day for the driver, the cost of digging an 



» S. Fraser. "The Potato." 



