Storage of Potatoes.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 5, 15 May 1940, Page 374

Storage of Potatoes.

TOO often scant attention is given £ to the storage of potatoes after they have been lifted, resulting in loss to the grower and disappointment to the purchaser. When pitting potatoes in the dryer districts, they should first be covered with straw, and then with earth. In sandy ground much labour will be avoided by sinking the pit a little below ground level. Loosen the ground along the line of the pit by a plough to the requisite length and width, and from this -throw the soil to the sides, where it is handy for the subsequent covering of the heap. As the crop

is carted in, the drays are backed endways to the side of the pit and the load tipped in. In wet districts such a plan is impossible, as the clamp would become waterlogged. It thus must be built above ground level, a trench being excavated afterwards along each side to provide soil for covering the potatoes, at the - same time carrying off water. A well-built pit of potatoes should be about 4ft. to 6ft. wide, and the sides should be sufficiently sloped to throw off rain. If the crop is sound and dry wider pits can be built, , but the all-important thing is to build them well to keep out frost and moisture. ;