PRICE FIVE CENTS! 
*2.00 PER YEAR. 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 6, 1883 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1S83, by the Rural New-Yorker In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.! 
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BEST WAY TO STORE POTATOES. 
JOHN M. STAHL. 
The potatoes should be dug as soon as they 
have matured. It will not do to leave them to 
nature and the weeds ; for nature does not 
and are liable to rot; the potatoes near the 
surface turn green and become worthless; and 
if the weather happens to be warm there is 
danger of a second growth. These are only a 
few of the losses that may occur. 
Then they must be dug and stored away. 
“ But,” you say, “ it will not do to store them 
away this warm weather. They will spoil.’’ 
Yon are mistaken—sadly mistaken. Let me 
tell you how potatoes should be stored away, 
any means. But if the withered stalks indi¬ 
cate that the potatoes are ready to harvest, 
dig them though the ground is wet. 
As soon as dug.get them into the shade. The 
sun will soon damage them ; therefore a cool, 
cloudy day is the best for digging potatoes. 
They should be protected from the wind also, 
if it be high or dry. I always make a shelter 
of boards along the fence or on tressels under 
which I store the potatoes until they are per- 
cling only the tighter. Exercise care in hand¬ 
ling. Do not bruise the potatoes or knock off 
the skin. Use a dat, wooden shovel or none 
at all. You may wouder what all this has to 
do with storing potatoes. Well, the object of 
storing potatoes is to keep them and these 
directions are important to be observed if you 
want to keep them sound. 
But to speak of the storing proper. The 
first thing to consider is the place in which to 
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caro anything more about them, and the weeds 
tire too sociable to be good. There is nothing 
to be gained by leaving the potatoes in the 
ground after they have matured. Their 
growth is ended. There is much to be lost; 
they will become impregnated with water 
Sketches at the New Jersey State Fair.—Fig. 647. 
whether the sun is as hot as on India’s coral 
strand, or the zephyrs blow as cold as on 
Mount Uewhillikius. 
Potatoes should be dug when the ground is 
dry ; for if the ground is wet the soil will ad¬ 
here to the tubers, and this is not desirable by 
fectly dry. You must not exclude all air. 
There must be sufficient circulation to dry the 
tubers. If they have beou dug when the 
ground was wet and the soil has adhered, rub it 
off as soon as it becomes dry. Do not attempt 
to rub it off while moist, for this will make it 
store them. The best place is a dry, properly 
ventilated, dark cellar, of a temperature of 
about 40 degrees Fahr. If you have uot this 
you must resort to pits. I most frequently 
see these made circular in shape. I do not 
know why they are made in this form, for this 
