Preparation for Mwrket 



225 



q^ ^1 



FiGUBE 40. — An easily con- 

 structed potato grader. 



have been futile and the best 

 means of grading now known 

 is with the hands. A me^ 

 chanical grader is rendered 

 difficult of design because of 

 the oblong rather than round 

 shape of the sweet potato, 

 and the ease with which these 

 roots are bruised by handling. 

 The construction of a rather 

 ingenious grader to be oper- 

 ated by means of a sieve of braided belts was at one time 

 undertaken by an employee of the Unitefd States Bu- 

 reau of Markets, but for some reason was never com- 

 pleted. 



Quantity. 



A consideration which must enter into the calcula- 

 tions in formulating a well-balanced marketing system 

 through the production end is the question of quantity. 

 A farmer should never grow more potatoes than he can 

 efficiently handle or his available market will absorb. 

 At the same time, he must grow enough to supply his 

 profitable trade and keep his labor, team and capital 

 busy in such a way that the cost of providing a bushel 

 will be reduced to a minimum. If all of the potatoes 

 are to be marketed when, dug, the amount to grow will 

 depend almost entirely on the harvesting period, the 

 absorption power of the market at that time, and the 

 labor which will be available when harvest time arrives. 

 If adequate storage facilities are available, the potatoes 

 can be handled much faster, in greater quantities and 



