POTATOES. 353 



the better the potato, while the less there is, the poorer it will cook. The strength of the 

 starchy element can be tested by releasing the hold upon one piece of the potato, and if it 

 still clings to the other, this in itself is a very good sign. These are the tests generally made 

 by experts, and which are usually reliable, a failure being the exception rather than the 

 rule. 



Sweet Potatoes. The sweet potato is a native of Southern Asia, and was formerly 

 considered an exclusively Southern product; but repeated experiments demonstrated to 

 Northern farmers a few years since that it might be grown in almost any of the Northern 

 States with very fair success. It is now quite commonly cultivated in many sections North, 

 although the quality of this product is not generally considered quite equal to that of some 

 of the Southern or Middle States, and Northern growers are obliged to take better care of 

 the crop than those of a southern latitude in order to insure success, and to have the tubers 

 mature before the frost makes its appearance. 



With the exception of precautionary measures against frost, the general methods of 

 cultivation for both North and South are essentially the same. This crop is an article of 

 food as common in every Southern household, white or black, rich or poor, as the Irish potato 

 is at the North, or rice is in China, while throughout the entire country it is regarded as a 

 very delicious and valuable vegetable. It was stated some time since on the authority of 

 Dr. Voelcker, who analyzed this potato sent him by Colonel Ott, of Virginia, that the starch 

 obtained from it was proven to be more valuable than that from the Irish potato. It seems 

 surprising that a product of so much value as the sweet potato should be so little known in 

 Europe. In some localities the yield is surprisingly large, it having been known to reach as 

 high as four hundred bushels per acre, varying, of course, according to the soil, climate, 

 season, and cultivation; the average yield, with fair culture, being about a hundred and 

 twenty-five or fifty bushels per acre. 



Varieties. There are comparatively but few varieties of the sweet potato. A yellow 

 variety, known as the Nansemond, is generally preferred and the most extensively cultivated 

 at the South. A large light-yellow variety, called in some sections the &quot;yam,&quot; is more pro 

 ductive and early, and also keeps well, but does not equal the former in quality. For 

 Northern culture, the Early Peabody is generally regarded as the best, being of good quality, 

 large size, hardy, and quite productive. Those raised North, though fair in quality, do not 

 equal those of Southern cultivation in this respect. 



Cultivation. Like the Irish potato, the sweet variety may be propagated from either 

 tubers or sprouts, but the latter is the more common and better method. They may be 

 grown upon a variety of soils, but one that is dry, warm, and sandy will give a product of 

 the best quality. A sandy loam will give very good results both in quality and quantity. 

 The ground should be plowed to a moderate depth, about six or seven inches being sufficient, 

 and well pulverized with the harrow. In the Northern States this may be done about the 

 first of May, although the plants should not be set out in that latitude until the last of May 

 or first of June, as they are quite tender and might be injured by the cold, being easily 

 chilled, which will stunt their growth. In a latitude farther South an earlier transplanting 

 would be admissible. The fertilizers used are horse manure, or any other from the farm 

 yard. Lime is also valuable as a fertilizer, and likewise aids in decomposing the vegetable 

 matter in the soil, and rendering it available for plant-food. 



After the soil has been well pulverized, the field should be marked out with a plow for 

 drills or hills, according to the method of culture. If for hills, the furrows should run each 

 way across the field, from three and a half to four feet apart, marking it off in squares, 

 running the plow twice in each furrow to make high hills or ridges. If for drills, the furrows 

 will run only in one direction, which should be north and south, to secure the most warmth. 



