Potatoes 9 Days were often cold during potato harvesting, with sweat¬ ers and cheap white gloves being added to the usual farm attire. It was always a relief to get back to a warm kitchen, to satisfy one's ravenous appetite and to see how each day's efforts added to the growing pile in the cellar. A feeling of victory was surely evident when field harvesting was finally completed. The last stages of potato harvesting occurred over the fol¬ lowing months, most often throughout the winter when grading took place in the atmosphere of a cosy cellar. In winter, access to the cellar was usually made through a hatch in the pantry floor to which was attached a small ladder. The sight of an oil lamp, a portable oil stove, scales, new bags being filled, sewn, piled in rows and the gradually diminishing potato pile made for a delightful and peaceful scene in that underground hidea¬ way. Hauling the bags by sleigh and packing them in reefer cars on the siding nearby was the last lap in a long process of finally getting the crop to market. As the bags were stacked in rows in the car, usually three sacks from each farmer's supply were left standing near the door for inspection. Some inspectors had the name of being tough, others of being rather lenient. Yet it was fairly rare for a farmer's lot to be "turned down", but when this grim event occurred that whole lot had to be regraded. Getting the potatoes loaded on the car and safely past inspection was a satisfying moment and although the prices were often unfairly low, complaints about the marketing system seemed few and far between.