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DOMINION OF CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. J. H. GRISDALE, B.Agr., Director. W. T. MACOUN. Dominion Horticulturist. DIGGING AND STORING OF POTATOES. I!y Vt. T. Macoix, Domininn IIorficuIturiHi. The best time to difr potutot's, if they urc not iifTfcti-d with late hh'^rht or rot. is as soon as the tol« luivc dicil. If thi- Nwatln r i- dry or where the to!),^ reiiiaiii ^ri'i'i '•! until killed by frost, the ilijr.L'iir: ^hiulii In- ilel.ivi 1 iitilil that time, ;;s ihirii.:^ S,;i- tcmbcr there is often .1 frreat il;'ve!o;]ii! 'tit of ti'.lMT.-. Where jiotntoes are firri^wn on the averatto farm the il:;r;r:n;; i~ iij^iialiy l.-i't a- a matter of eonvi-nienee until afl :• the com is han-e?te<l, vlu re tl'.it ef p i< iri-ow:!. as. wlnn t)i<. tulier- ari' eovereil \vi:h soil, the latter may he froze:i an ineji or so ii d ^itli. without tlie 'toii being injun'd. Potatoes should not, however. !>;■ h-ft ;ii tl:" fja-oiiiid whoii there i^ (]an;;er of thi^ ground freezinsr to a i^realer depth. V.'hen tl;.' soil is fairly \\r]] drained and not particularly wet the diyrinL;- niry lie del jyi ij for a ir.o;;tli or inc re without nnieh inji:ry to the crop if the tubers arc healthy; h iwever, where there is no disease the sooi'.e? the potatoes are dujr, after the tops arc dead, the better. Potatoes -which have Ikch kiUed by late blijrhl will u.sually Tut as soon as the conditions are favourable, and for this reason it is better to leave a liiseased crop in the (jround a.s lonj? as ijossiblc, as the tidxTs which arc diseasfl will, ini>st of them, ehow signs of rot before they have to be taken up on account (. frost, anii they no^l not be gathered. If diseased potatot>s arc dug and stor d 1,3 soon as the to[w arv. dead, the disciise "Kill be almost t'crtain to develop in the pit or cellar, and hralthy tubers will rot from contact with the discat»e«l ones. It is not pood i>ractice to dif^ diseased potatoes early and pile them in the field. It is better to delay difjr^'iii!? as long OS poesiblo and then put the potatoes in a cool, well-ventilate<i cellar wdiero the dise.ise may be checked. Potatoes in ^ (-oil should be dug sooner than those in that which is drier and well drained. Potatoes should be dug in dry we^thor, so that when they are taken to the cellar or store-room they will be porfe(.'tly dry. If the tubers arc houst^l when wet, the conditions become very favourable for tho development of any disease which may nffect them «nd for the rotting of the healthy potatoes from contact with those thus affected. 26204 ^MK-re there arc large areas to be ,lus a ^^o„.l potato .li^per i. essential. Xot only will a potato digger rui.o the erop more e..ononii,.all,v than a fork or plouH, hut vr.th ,t the grower i. more likely to pet his <.rop .!ug a.ul pi.ke,! up while the ,veather is hne, which IS a great eo.isi.leration. There are a numher of g„o,l potato di.-ers LOW on the market whieh will dig up and leave on the surface of the soil praetieally all the tubers. Ploughing potat*)C8 out is quite a common metho,! among farmers, but in plough- ing them out there is always a considerable number of potatoes \vh in the ground, and the additional labour re<iuired to pick up these potatoes whieh are scattered all' over the field after harrowing is an item. The old-fashione,l. yet thorough, way of digging with the four-tined potato fork IS too «low and expeniiive a method, now that good men are difficult to get an.l wages are so high, but where these do not have to be taken into consideration as good or better work is done by a man than by any implement. A man with a fork will dig little more than half an acre a day; a good potato digger will dig from three to fivo acres a day. STomsc roTATOFs. Potatoes should be stored dry in a cool, well-ventilated cellar which ia perfectly dark. There is no doubt great losses occur every year from the careless storing of wet potatoes in comparatively warm and poorly ventilated cellars and piled in great heaps, giring almost ideal conditions for the development of any disease which may be in them and very favourable conditions for rotting. The expense of providin- a good system of ventilation for a cellar would be soon offset by the better condition In Thich the potatoes would keep; hence the more profit there would l>e from them. Should it be considered unwise to go to this expense, everj- eff.,rt should be made to Imve as free air circulation about the potatoes as possible. Instead of piling the potatoes against the wall or on the floor, .slats should be nailed a little ai>art about six inches or more from the wall. This will give a circulation of air behind the pile. A temporary floor should be put down about six inches above the permarsnt floor' with cracks between the boards. This will permit air to circulate under and through the pile. Then if the piles have to be made very large, square ventilators of wood made of slats and running from the top to the bottom of the pile could be put in here and there through the pile. These with the ventilation afforded at the sides and bottom will keep the potatoes in a much better condition than if they were in a solid pile. Another good plan is to keep the potatoes in large crates made with slats. The ventilation betw ^n these crates would assist very much in keeping the tubers in good, condition. Thou, mds of bushels of potatoes are lost every year, when there is disease in the crop, by neglecting ventilation. The temperature of the cellar or store-house should be kept as nearly 33° to 3.^=F. as possible. The cooler potatoes are kept with- out freezing the better. Xot only is the value of the tubers for seed lessened by sprouting, but they are also much injured for eating. Moreover, if the potatoes are held over to sell in the spring, sprouting will cause a great deal of shrinkage in weight. It is important to have some means of letting an abundance of fresh air into the cellar towards spring, when it becomes more difficult to keep the potatoes in good condition. Cool air should be let in at night when the outside temperature is lowest and the cellar should be kept closed during the day. a S U i i ^ « TKMPllKAKV STOR.\nE. Somotinu. u is .lirti.M.Ic to .vt ,,1I ,1... .-mp „. ,h. ,,.,1,^ at .H.^Kin^ tin,,.. ,,n.l whea thi« ,s tbo .-us., til,- ,,„tato.s ,ua,v b.- put in pilos of foitj- or fifty Ini hrU i„ ., l.Ia,-,. whoro water will not li- and ..ov.t.,! with .traw, wi,h a littl.- earth ,n top to lun> them do-, inoro .arth bein^^ put over tlu- straw if tlu- woatlur 1k-,-o,„.. ,.o1,1 Jf the potatoes are diseased, however, it is not safe to pile the.n i.i this way. and eyen If they are healthy, piling,' in the field should be avoided if at all jM.sible, as the erop IS much easier to handle afterwards in the eellar than outside in tho cold, perhaps iu-lement, weather. If potatoes are foun,l to be diseased at di,.,^n« tin.e. a ko.kI t'lan IS to hx up a plaee in the barn where it is ..uite ,lry and where frost can be kept out for a time and spread the potatoes in shallow i)ilcs. Many persons are ^rowins potatot^ for the first time this vear in either small or moderately large ,,uantities. The methods just deseribed .'an .,e used by such lH>rsons in many cases. In other eases the .p.antity ^rown bdn^^ „uite m.uII. eaa all be stored in the cellar as soon as the potatoes are ,\uix. In storinr in the eell-ir it IS better to keep the potat.«>s in bo.xes or eraf.s rather than in ba^s, as tho latter «re liable to rot. Moreover, when the potatow start to sprout, as they will do durin- the winter, they will be more ,,uiekly noth-ed when in boxes and the sprouts kop"t remoyed. The oftener the sprouts are romovt^d, wlum they appear, the better the potatoes will keep, but where possible the potato.^ should be kept so eool and in such a dark room that they will not sprout. Before storing even «nall quantities of potatoes It IS desirable to have them quite dry. In the more newly settkni parts of Canada the settlers have difficulty in storing their potatoes before they get a go<Hl cellar, and even those who have been long in the country often have not adequate accommodation for their potatoes The following method of storing 1,000 bushels of potatoes has b^-e-n very success- lally followed on the prairies: A hole in the ground U ft^^t wide. 4 to 41 f-et di*p and about 'M feet long will give ample space. The sid.-s and ends of the hole may be Imed with boards to prevent earth from falling in, though the earth may be braced back with poles if boards cannot be readily obtained. Fill the hole to a height of 3J leet with potatoes, then place logs along the sides and ends to hold back the earth thrown out and for supports for the poles of the roof. The depth of this side log and elevation in centre of the roof is to be left as an air space, and no straw or rubbish ^vJiatever ,s put on top of the potatoes. A roof is made with poles placed close together. There should be but a slight elevation at the centre of the roof. When the poles for the roof are in plaw there should be a little hay thrown over them to keep the soil from falling through. The roof should now be well sodded and some of tlie loose earth which was dug out of the hole shovelled over tho sods to make about one foot deep of earth and s«ls. Another foot of well-rotted, dry horse manure will be suiKcient during the coldest winter. The natural ground heat from the bottom will keep the temperature fairly even. In a pit this size there should be three vencilators, each about 4 by inches, made of boards, one at e-..di end and one in the centre. These should be put in when roofing. These are closed in the very *old weather with old sacks, and empty boxes then turned over them; when the weather becomes frosty, tho centre ventilator may be kept closed all the time. There should be no potatoes directly under the end ventilators, as the drip of water from theitt causes the potatoe* to rot. A thcrmomotcr cnn ho let down at any time to test the temperature. In a pit of this .-.ind the temperature should not pn much belnw 4'VF. It is advisable to dig an approach at one end to get to the potatooi in the spring. This fliould be sunk as deep as tho pit and nwfod over as the pit, and can bo kept *illcd -srith manure of old batre during the \'^inter to prert-nt fmrt potting in. Plans for cheap roet cellare will be found in Exliibition CI:; ''ar No. 71 of Ae Experimental Farm Sen**, "Plan of Koot Collar for Vi'oBtem Ciuiada." and in the Annual Ileport of the Diviaion ot Fomge Plants, Doaainion F.x[Hrimeatal Farma Report far 1914. OO-OFKKATTTE STOKNQ OF POTATOES. Many persons in cities and towns liav.- very poor facilities for storing pr>tatoee. Tlicy live in rented liousw with, in many .asw, "• I.t one cellar which is tho funiaca rof)m as well. Such cfUers are usually t..o wann lor storing potatoes for any length of time, and the tubers sprout and wilt eariy and lose much of their vidwe. Few per- sons in rented houses care to go to tho o:ipi'iiJ'c of making a comparttnent in the <'elLir where the temperature can be kept lower. Tho result id that only a limited quantity of vegetables is s*»ro<j at one time by tho average citir.en. A large number of people are now growing their own vegetables and the question of where to obtain good storage for these an<l particularlv tho potat/K>; is a very impor- tant one. If those who have grown potatoes arc obliml to s<ll part of them this autumn because they have no godil place to store them, and have to buy potatoes, prob- ably at a greatly i.. -reased price, before new ones aro ready nest season it would not be very satisfactory to the grower. The su^'gi'rtion i-* 'aerew-ith made that committees bo formed in the various cities and to^viis to find if tlu>re are any available cool, frost- proof cellars where potat.>es could bo stored during tho winter at a minimum charge. Each grower would bring bis potatoes to the cellar, they could be stored in separate lots and arrangements could be made so that ho could get his own p 'ooe is desired. The details in regard to such a co-operative plan would have to be worked out locally, but there seems no reason why eome such arrangement oould not be made.