STORING POATOES

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 347, 22 January 1918, Page 3

STORING POATOES

Potatoes, with a little care, are easily storable over the year, and certainly from harvest to seed time —from one period of home supply to the next similar period. Advice as to storing is given, says a writer in an English paper, by a note sent out by the Northumberland authorities, and which has been written by Mr T. A. Lawreneon. The advice itself is excellent, concise, and thoroughly sound and practical. Growers are told that, whatever method of storing is adopted, the tubers should first be thoroughly dried Two or three hours' exposure, il lifted on a diy day, will suffice, or failing this, they may be left a day in a dry i-hed. All diseased or damaged tubers should be carefully sorted out and placed aside for using first. If the quantity stored will permit, a moderately dry and airy room or outbuilding will be found the most satisfactory store. Damp, warm, and stuffy cellars are very unsuitable The potatoes should be placed in layers of not more than five or six tubers deep, and covered with a layer of straw, wood, wool or sacking. We have known shavings used for the purpose. Stored thus, they can be readily turned over and examined from time to time during the winter, and any diseased or sprouted potatoes taken out. This periodical examination is important. Should there be any trace of disease at storing time, a light sprinkling of flower of sulphur or dry slaked lime should be dusted over each layer. Where space is limited sacks may, of course, be used for storing. In this case, whether any disease shows or not, a sulphur lime dusting is highly advisable, as an undetected rotten potato which might otherwise contaminate a considerable portion of the sack, will thus be prevented from doing much damage. In old days not a few potatoes were stored by simply leaving them in the ground where they were until they were wanted. Even in the North of Scotland damage from frost was very rare when potatoes were so left, and it is said that in England there is no danger whatever from this cause. The objection to the method is that, in the case of gardens the land might be better employed in growing autumn-sown crops. Whatever system of etoring is adopred, due precaution must be taken against the attacks of rats and mice This, together with periodical examinations to see that there is no rotting or sprouting, is all the trouble involved in storing potatoes so as to have supplies all the year round.