236 The Sweet Potato 



with less danger of los3 from growing more than can be 

 marketed immediately than when such facilities are 

 absent. The distance to the railroad, the possibility of 

 securing cooperation from neighbors, available team, 

 condition of the roads, distance from loading point to 

 destination and expense will all be vitally influencing 

 items in properly regulating the quantity production 

 side of the business. 



Storage. 



Inasmuch as storage often enables one to receive 

 double the price for sweet potatoes, it constitutes a very 

 important phase of profitable marketing. It is also 

 common knowledge that well-cured sweets are superior 

 in eating quality to those which are not kiln-dried. The 

 buying public recognizes this fact and such stock is 

 given preference by the big markets. 



Storage-houses often render handling more econom- 

 ical and profitable because of the ease with which 

 potatoes may be placed in storage and then packed and 

 shipped out at some later date when farm labor is not 

 so much needed in routine crop harvesting operations. 



PACKING OPERATIONS 



The proper time to grade sweet potatoes is in the 

 field at digging time. If to be kiln-dried, grading may 

 be facilitated by storing in crates which may be takea 

 directly to the field and the various grades placed in 

 separate crates and hauled to storage without further 

 handling. , Even when handled in this way, the potatoes 

 should be resorted before shipping out the following 

 winter or spring. This should be done by placing the 

 roots directly into the containers in which they are 



