POTATOES. 355 



vented from rooting. This may be done by hand or with a wide fork, which should be used 

 with care in order not to injure the vines. This should be done several times during the 

 season. &quot;When the tubers are sufficiently matured, or when the frost has killed the vines, 

 the crop may be harvested. They should never be left in the soil when it is sufficiently cold 

 to freeze the ground, as it will ruin the crop. Cold, wet weather has a tendency also to 

 deteriorate the quality. The principal essentials to the successful culture of this crop at the 

 North are generally conceded to be liberal manuring, ridge culture, freedom from weeds, and 

 frequent loosening of the vines to prevent them from taking root. 



The following, from the pen of Mr. James G. Tinsley, of Virginia, an experienced and 

 successful sweet-potato grower, will give the method of cultivating this crop in that section 

 of the country, which differs in some minor respects from that already described: 



&quot; Sprouting the sweet potatoes in the bed is the first step to be taken. In this latitude 

 the best time to put the beds down is the 1st of April, as the slips cannot, with safety, be put 

 out before the 10th of May; this gives ample time to get them large enough. 



First, dig out a pit nine inches deep, five feet broad, and as long as you may desire it, 

 say fifteen feet, as that is a convenient-sized bed ; then, to keep moles and ground-rats out, 

 plank up the sides by nailing the plank to stakes driven in the ground, raising the plank on 

 the north side, say one foot above the ground, and, on the south side, six inches above ground ; 

 then slant the short sides of the bed that run from north to south, so that the cover, that is 

 usually of plank or slabs, will make a tight fit; now throw the dirt that you have thrown out 

 of the pit back against the plank that is above ground. The object in having the lower side 

 to the south is to have a better exposure to the sun. The next step is to fill this bed so as to 

 generate a moderate heat to sprout the potatoes. There is as much danger of too much, as 

 too little heat. 



I will now try to describe the simplest and cheapest way, and one that is used almost 

 universally in this section. First put oak leaves in the bed, watering and trampling them 

 well, and continue to do it until there are six inches of leaves well moistened and trampled. 

 Now, upon these leaves, put three inches of fresh stable manure, after it has b$en well packed 

 in the bed not putting as much as three inches in the middle of the bed, as the heat is 

 always greater in the center than on the sides; upon this manure put three inches of mold 

 from the woods, or light dirt if you cannot procure the mold ; on this put the potatoes as 

 thick as you can without letting them touch each other; after you have completed the layer 

 of potatoes then cover with mold or dirt two inches. 



Now you have finished the business of putting down the potatoes to get sprouts. Examine 

 your bed every day to see whether you have too much or too little heat; if you want to 

 increase the heat, it is a very good plan to cover the dirt on the top of the bed with three or 

 four inches of pine tags, as that helps to keep in the heat. Raise the covers every warm, 

 clear day about nine o clock, remove the pine tags and put them in the- sun, and let the beds 

 be exposed to the sun until about four o clock in the evening, when the tags must be again 

 put on them and the covers let down. Continue to use the pine tags until sprouts are about 

 to come through the ground, then dispense with them altogether. When you find you have 

 too much heat on your bed, the best thing you can do will be to drive a short stake in the 

 center of the bed through to the bottom and shake around sufficiently to make a vent for the 

 heat to escape. After the plants come up, continue to cover them as long as there is danger 

 of frost; then remove the covers, as it is necessary to harden them before setting out. In 

 drawing the plants, be very particular not to mash or trample the bed, and draw the slips one 

 at a time, drawing them sideways to keep from pulling up the potato. After the plants have 

 been drawn, water the bed well and continue to keep the ground moist as long as you wish 

 to raise plants, as nothing makes them grow faster than for them to be well watered. 



&quot;We usually try to set out all we can in the month of May set out after that time the 



