THE SWEET POTATO. 67 



the varieties. lu order to consider priority prop- 

 erly one would have to go back then to Catesby at 

 least. The writer has received over seventy so-called 

 varieties under various names, and finds himself 

 utterly unable to determine the majority of these 

 from the scanty description given in previous litera- 

 ture. Those varieties have been given the names 

 under which they were secured, unless those names 

 gave rise to confusion. 



It must also be taken into account that certain 

 varieties will in all probability prdduce normal 

 tubers only in certain sections, and that some varie- 

 ties when transplanted from one climate to another 

 will exhibit different characters. We find the same 

 to be true of other plants. Sweet corn, growing 

 six feet high in the Northern States and having the 

 ear about 21/2 to 3 feet from the ground, will scarcely 

 grow 4 feet tall when planted in western Texas, and 

 make the ears right on the ground, in the first season. 

 Such may be due to one of two things : Either the 

 variety will not grow under the new conditions, or 

 it needs to be acclimated. It is, of course, probable 

 for that very reason, that some varieties with which 

 the writer has experimented should not do well in 

 New Jersey. Therefore, unless good typical tubers 

 were received from which to give the characters, the 

 tubers of varieties which did not seem to thrive have 

 not been included in the key. 



Primarily, the varieties have been classified for 

 i^^he writer's own convenience, and the intention is 

 to continue the work on sweet potatoes in various 

 directions during spare hours, as opportunity pre- 

 sents. 



In any classification of varieties the following are 

 essentials ; 



