Harvesting and Storage 199 



As soon as the house has heen thoroughly cleaned and 

 disinfected, a fire should be started in the stove to dry 

 out the room. This fire should be kept going during 

 the entire filling process. This is advisable so as to 

 dry the surface moisture from the potatoes as they are 

 brought in. As soon as the house has been filled, the 

 doors should be closed, but the ventilators, both top and 

 bottom, should be kept open as much as possible and at 

 the same time maintain a temperature of 80°. When 

 air is heated it rises to the top and will pass out through 

 the ventilators. This causes a suction of fresh air at 

 the bottom, which in turn is heated and passes out at 

 the top, thus causing a constant flow of warm dry air 

 through the potatoes. The false floor of the bins being 

 four inches above the regular floor of the house, the 

 walls of the bins being away from the storage-house 

 walls at both sides and back, and the bins being sep- 

 arated from each other with a two-inch space, free 

 circulation of the air is provided throughout the house. 

 This circulation is absolutely essential if sweet potatoes 

 are to be cured properly. A temperature of 80° to 

 85° during the curing period is preferable, though in 

 certain cases when the potatoes are unusually wet and 

 sappy a higher temperature is necessary. As soon as 

 the potatoes are cured, which can be determined by a 

 characteristic velvety feel and the first appearance of 

 sprouts, the heat should be cut off and the temperature 

 lowered as rapidly as possible to 60° E. or below. 



A coal or wood stove is simple to operate and raises 

 the temperature more rapidly; at the same time, it 

 carries all products of combustion to the outside. An 

 oil stove, unless an unusually high grade of kerosene is 

 used, will sometimes give wick trouble when left to 



