436 FIELD CROPS 



are used to a considerable extent, but these of course can be 

 effective only in separating potatoes according to size. 



570. Storing. Potatoes keep best at a temperature be- 

 tween 32 and 40 F., though necessarily they are often kept 

 for a considerable length of time at higher temperatures. 

 Early in the fall they are very commonly put in piles on the 

 ground in the field where they grew, the piles being covered 

 with potato tops, straw, or hay, and a little earth. They may 

 be kept in these pits until late in the fall, or even all winter 

 if necessary. If they are to be left throughout the winter, 

 a pit is usually dug several feet deep and filled with potatoes 

 and covered as stated above. As the weather gets colder, 

 more earth or manure is piled on top to prevent freezing. It 

 is always desirable in a pit of any kind to leave a small open- 

 ing for ventilation. 



Potatoes are also often stored in cellars under houses. 

 This is not usually advisable, except in small quantities for 

 home use, if it can be avoided, because the cellar is likely to 

 be too warm and if any of the potatoes spoil they make con- 

 ditions in the house very unhealthful for its occupants. Root 

 cellars built separate from the house and potato warehouses 

 are far better storage places. Root cellars are usually built 

 very largely in the ground and covered with a considerable 

 depth of earth. Such cellars are usually cool in warm 

 weather and sufficiently warm to protect potatoes from 

 freezing in cold weather; if dry and well ventilated, they 

 serve their purpose very well. Potato warehouses are 

 usually built near the railroad track so that shipments may 

 be made from them ao any time during the winter. The 

 walls of these houses are usually made as nearly frost-proof 

 as practical, and if there is danger of freezing, stoves are 

 used to raise the temperature slightly. 



