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 were formerly 
kept in pits or outdoor cellars. As a rule such storage 
is undesirable since moisture conditions cannot be thor- 
oughly controlled. For small quantities, storage in a 
warm loft or in a cellar near the furnace is satisfactory. 
For commercial storage, special houses are recom- 
mended, in which uniform temperatures may be main- 
tained after the curing process. A temperature of about 
85 degrees is held during the storing period and for 10 
