POTATOES. 357 



may be performed in various ways. A plow is frequently used for throwing the potatoes out 

 of the ground, but they are liable to be cut or bruised in this way ; besides, many will be buried 

 in the soil. A good potato-digger is the best implement we know of for this purpose, where 

 large quantities are to be harvested, as the crop is less injured by its use than by the plow, 

 and the labor is greatly facilitated. Where extreme care is observed, and only a small crop 

 is to be harvested, a six-tined fork is often used for lifting them out of the soil. 



The tubers should be handled very carefully, as even slight bruises or cuts will cause 

 them to decay very quickly. When first taken from the soil, they should be left on the ground 

 two or three hours fully exposed to the sun and air to dry. They are then sometimes sorted 

 in the field, when desired for ready market, and put into barrels or boxes for that purpose, 

 taking care not to injure them by bruising or otherwise. 



Storing. When intended for winter storage, sweet potatoes are usually spread in a 

 warm, dry, sheltered, and airy place for a week or two, that the moisture from the surface of 

 the tubers may be absorbed, after which it is a good plan to pack them carefully in dry sand, 

 in boxes or barrels, rejecting all that are not perfectly sound, or that have been cut or bruised 

 in the least. They will keep best when packed like eggs, or so placed that each tuber will be 

 separated from others and entirely surrounded by the sand, which must always be very dry. 

 After being well packed they should be put away in a rather warm, dry place, as they are 

 very easily chilled and are entirely worthless if once touched by the frost ; but if put in to a 

 place where the temperature is too warm, the dry rot will be liable to attack them. Moisture 

 or cold are equally detrimental, and the principal things to be avoided in storage. 



Some care will be required to have the temperature kept uniform and other conditions 

 just suited to their perfect preservation. It is always best to pack them without transferring 

 from one place to another more than necessary, as the more they are moved about the more 

 liable they are to get bruised, and consequently the less liable to keep well. 



Where sand suited to the purpose is not convenient of access, chaff, fine-cut straw, or 

 fine shavings are frequently used for packing instead, but dry sand is the best material we 

 know of for this purpose. In some sections where this crop is largely produced, store-houses 

 are built especially for this crop, the walls sometimes being made double and filled with saw 

 dust or earth, where they are stored in shallow bins or boxes without being packed in any 

 thing ; but with this method careful attention is always necessary in order to maintain a proper 

 degree of temperature and sufficient ventilation, as well as to also remove any unsound ones 

 as soon as they begin to decay. 



The Yam. This is an esculent tuber cultivated to a certain extent in this country, but 

 is not as highly esteemed as the sweet potato. It is extensively grown in the East and West 

 Indies, as well as other tropical countries. There are a number of different varieties, which 

 vary in quality, size, productiveness, and hardiness. The yam can be propagated by small 

 tubers produced by covering the vines with earth and severing them near the angles of each 

 pair of leaves after they have taken root, or by planting small pieces of the root. 



The Chinese Yam was introduced into this country from France in 1855, in 

 the form of small tubers about the size of peas, which had been obtained by covering vines 

 with earth as above described. It is similar in appearance, though smaller than the yam of 

 the Indies, and thrives in both the Northern and Southern States. It has a climbing vine 

 with heart-shaped leaves, and clusters of small white flowers. 



The Chinese yam requires two seasons to mature when produced from the small bulbs, 

 but a crop suitable for cooking purposes can be obtained the first season when the propaga 

 tion is from the roots, which are club-shaped. When fully matured and cooked, it is dry and 

 farinaceous, and much resembles in taste the common potato. The flesh is also very white 

 when cooked. The land in which it thrives best is that of a deep, rich soil, which should be 



