176 AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



Four months of mild weather, months free from frost 

 and cold winds, are necessary for the growing of sweet 

 potatoes. In a mild climate, almost any loose, well-drained 

 soil will produce them. A light, sandy loam, however, gives 

 a cleaner potato, and one therefore that sells better. 



The sweet potato draws potash, nitrogen, and phosphoric 

 acid from the soil, but in applying these as fertilizers the 

 planter must study and know his own soil. If he does not, 

 he may waste both money and plant food by the addition of 

 elements already present in sufficient quantity in the soil. 

 The only way to come to reliable conclusions as to the 

 needs of the soil is to try two or three different kinds of 

 fertilizers on plats of the same soil, during the same 

 season, and notice the resulting crop of potatoes. 



The sweet potato does not require deep plowing. Deep 

 plowing is even a disadvantage. Nor does it matter much 

 what crop precedes sweet potatoes. However, potatoes 

 should not follow a sod. This is because sods are often 

 thick with cutworms, one of the serious enemies of the 

 potato. 



It is needless to say that the crops must be kept clean 

 by thorough cultivation until the vines take full possession 

 of the field. 



In harvesting, extreme care should be used to avoid cut- 

 ting and bruising the potato, since bruises are as danger- 

 ous to a sweet potato as to an apple, and render decay 

 almost a certainty. Lay aside all bruised potatoes for 

 immediate use. 



For shipment the potatoes should be graded and packed 

 with care. An extra outlay of fifty cents a barrel often 

 brings a return of one dollar a barrel in the market. One 



