THE POTATO 253 



land, $8; plowing and fitting, $5; fertilizers, $20; 

 10,000 plants, $10; planting, $5; cultivating, $5; 

 digging and marketing, $25; total, $78. An aver- 

 age yield of sweet potatoes is at the rate of one 

 barrel to 100 hills, or 100 barrels to an acre. The 

 price per barrel paid the grower is seldom less than 

 $1.25, and $2.50 or $3 is not uncommon. During 

 good seasons the net profit from one acre of sweet 

 potatoes is about $75. While occasionally the 

 net returns are from $100 to $150 an acre for a 

 single season, there are seasons of crop failure or 

 overproduction when very Httle, if any, profit is 

 realized. 



"The sweet-potato growers on the eastern shore 

 of Virginia as a rule plant about ten acres in sweet 

 potatoes, and this constitutes their money crop. 

 The remainder of the cleared portion of their small 

 farms is devoted to com, pasture, and hay, all for 

 home use. Here the sweet-potato crop is grown 

 almost entirely without the aid of hired help, and 

 the cost of production does not exceed $40 an acre. 

 Where the crop is stored the gross returns are 

 greater, but the cost of production is increased 

 proportionately. " 



