448 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



635. Harvesting. Sweet potatoes are palatable as 

 soon as they have attained a size large enough to be 

 worth cooking, but the yield is always greatly sacrificed 

 if dug too early. High prices may make up for the re- 

 duced yield. Various types of plows are used in the 

 removal of the crop, but the special forms shown in Fig- 

 ure 104 are the most desirable for this work. Sweet 

 potatoes should, if possible, be harvested before frost. 

 It is also important that the ground be dry and the 

 weather bright and sunny to favor the rapid drying of 

 the tubers, which should never be left on the ground dur- 

 ing the night. The usual plan is to allow them to dry 

 in the field for a few hours and then haul them to tem- 

 porary or permanent storage. 



636. Marketing. Sweet potatoes are marketed most 

 extensively in barrels. Hampers and baskets are often 

 used for local markets. When shipped during the win- 

 ter, the barrels should be lined with paper and the tops 

 provided with several layers of heavy paper. Additional 

 protection is afforded by covering the outside of the bar- 

 rel with heavy paper. After being taken from storage in 

 cold weather they should be handled as rapidly as possi- 

 ble until safely in the home of the consumer. Car lots 

 in the winter require refrigerator or felt-lined cars. 

 Stoves are sometimes provided to guard against frost. 



637. Storage. A relatively high temperature and a 

 dry atmosphere are the requisites for the successful stor- 

 age of sweet potatoes, which in the South are usually 

 kept in pits or outdoor cellars. In the North special 

 houses (usually frame) are built and heated with stoves 

 or hot water. They are well provided with ventilators. 

 The potatoes are placed in large bins immediately after 

 they have been dug; the fires are started as soon as 

 storage begins, and a temperature of about 85 degrees 

 maintained during the storing period and for 10 days 

 alter all the potatoes have been housed. This period is 



