A Storage House for Potatoes 



Use of pits, dugouts and masonry houses for the storage of 

 potatoes as discussed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture 



POTATOES of the main crop can be 

 stored satisfactorily throughout 

 most of the United States in the 

 dugout pit or potato cellar in some of its 

 various forms of construction. No at- 

 tempt should be made to store potatoes 

 of the early crop, as they are usually sold 

 for immediate consumption. 



While the dugout storage house is in 

 most general use, concrete or masonry 

 houses with frame superstructures are, 

 perhaps, most 

 satisfactory in 

 cold climates. 

 In some sec- 

 tions, espe- 

 cially in the 

 South where 

 drainage is 

 poor, insu- 

 lated frame 

 structures 

 built entirely 

 above the 

 ground must 

 be depended 

 upon. 



The pri- 

 mary pur- 

 poses of stor- 

 age are to 

 protect the 

 tubers from 

 extremes of 



heat and cold and from light. Account 

 also must be taken of conditions of hu- 

 midity and ventilation and of the size of the 

 storage pile. 



The temperature should be the highest 

 at which potatoes will remain firm and uh- 

 germinated, and which will at the same 

 time hold fungus diseases in check. Experi- 

 ments with artificially refrigerated storage 

 indicate that 36 deg. F. is sufficiently low 

 for all practical purposes and that during 

 the earlier portion of the storage season a 

 temperature of 40 deg. F. is just as satis- 

 factory as a lower one except where 

 powdery dry rot infection occurs. 



All natural light should be excluded 

 from potato storage houses, because when 

 the tubers are exposed to even modified 

 light, they are soon injured for food pur- 



Potatoes should not be piled too deep in a bin. It is 

 better to use trays or ventilators placed conveniently 



poses. A practical rule in regard to humid- 

 ity is to maintain sufficient moisture in the 

 air to prevent the wilting of the tubers and 

 at the same time to keep the humidity 

 content low enough to prevent the de- 

 posit of moisture on the surface of the 

 tubers. 



If too many potatoes are put in one pile 

 they may become overheated and may 

 deteriorate. About 6 ft. is a good maximum 

 depth for piling tubers in bins, and the 

 area covered 

 by each pile 

 also should be 

 limited. A 

 good plan is 

 to insert ven- 

 tilated divi- 

 sion walls at 

 intervals 

 through the 

 pile or bin. 

 These may be 

 made by nail- 

 ing relatively 

 narrow boards 

 on both sides 

 of 2 by 4-in. 

 uprights, i-in. 

 spaces being 

 left between 

 the boards. 

 General ven- 

 tilation for 

 the whole storage house usually is accom- 

 plished through ventilating shafts in the 

 roof. 



The two best methods are the most ex- 

 pensive; masonry or concrete houses, and 

 artificially refrigerated storage houses. Pit- 

 ting is the most primitive way, but if 

 properly done in well-drained locations 

 it is satisfactory in so far as the preserva- 

 tion of the potatoes is concerned. The 

 chief drawback to pitting is that the pota- 

 toes are not always easily accessible in the 

 winter. 



The dugout pit or potato storage cellar 

 is probably more widely used than any 

 other type of storage space. Fitted with a 

 water-tight roof it is especially popular 

 in the central portion of the United States. 

 In the arid and semi-arid sections a type 



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