CULTURE OP SWEET POTATOES. 



cuttings from those in the 02:>en ground, place them in the sunniest spot in your gar- 

 den, where they can remain until August or September, allowing them, of course, 

 plenty of room. In such a place the plant will break freely and have a fine, bushy 

 top without pinching at all ; and these plants will retain their lower leaves better on 

 account of being in the open ground. Or, when your cutting begins to grow, you 

 may cut it off within an inch of the ground, and it may become still more dwarf, and 

 perhaps have a large number of flowers. Pot them in August or early in September, 

 in good, rich mold ; water once a week with manure water, or a solution of sulphate 

 of ammonia. If they mildew, syringe them with sulphur water ; or, if you have no 

 syringe, just before a shower comes on, sprinkle them well with sulphur. Remove 

 them to the house before there is danger of sharp frosts, but keep them out as long 

 as you can, especially if they are intended for the parlor. After two or three hard 

 frosts perhaps they might safely remain out for one or two weeks. After this, a 

 south window in the parlor is probably the best place for them. In December or 

 January, after the bloom is over, you can put your plants in a cold, frosty room ; and 

 if you want the pots, turn the plants out and place them close together, cutting off 

 the tops, of course. Or, if you have the heart to do it, throw your plants away, and 

 return to your garden in the following May for a fresh supply. In this way you have 

 the plant in pot about three or four months, and that at the time when you think less 

 of the trouble on account of the flourisliing buds and beautiful blossoms. 



[W. is an amateur cultivator who has been eminently successful. Whatever he 

 says is entitled to the fullest confidence. — Ed.] 



THE CULTURE OF SWEET POTATOES. 



BY C. E. GOODPJCII, UTICA, N. T. 



I HAVE recently noticed frequent inquiries on the culture of the Sweet Potato. Hav- 

 ing had some little experience in this branch of horticulture, I will briefly state the 

 mode and the results. 



Source of Seed. — This I always procure from the city of New York, to which it is, 

 I suppose, in all cases brought from further south. I sometimes send directly there 

 for it, and at other times procure it here from grocers who have recently procured it 

 for retail here. Potatoes raised here are always too imperfectly mature to be pre- 

 served ; they perish with a dry rot even when stored in small (juantities, in dry sand, 

 and in a cool and airy place. 



Soil. — I have cultivated them in a light sand, a sandy loam, both of moderate fer- 

 tility, and in moist rich sand. I prefer the former, because it secures a slower growth 

 and results in the earlier formation of tubers, and of course in a more perfect maturity 

 than either of the others. 



Mode of growth, — The vine and leaf somewhat resemble a Bean trailing ov 



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