POTATOES 



125 



Where a very early crop is desired, bed the seed tubers six 

 weeks before the last spring frost is expected. When the slips 

 are drawn from the bed, care should be taken not to pull the 

 mother-tuber out of the soil. The strong plants, Avhich are six 

 or eight inches long, should be used and the smaller ones left 

 for further growth. It is a good plan to water the bed after each 

 drawing, and if this is done plants may be drawn several times 

 at intervals of six or eight days. Do not alloAV the roots to dry 

 after the plants are drawn. Dip the roots in mud or pack under 

 damp moss or cloth until transplanted. 



Time of transplanting. — For earliest sweet potatoes plant as 

 soon as danger of frost is past. This is practiced by many mar- 

 ket gardeners wlio obtain high prices for their first tubers. The 



Fig. 40. — -Sweet-potato tuber and siirouts. — Virginia Truck Exp. Staiioiu Bulhtiii 19. 



largest yields are usually obtained from plantings made after 

 the soil becomes thoroughly Avarm. Stuckey^ found that for 

 Georgia conditions slips planted from IMay 16 to June 11 gave 

 larger yields than those planted earlier or later. 



Setting in the field. — It is best to set the plants when the soil 

 contains an abundance of moisture. If the soil is wet do not 

 puddle it by pressing too hard next to the slip. Water the plants 

 where the ground is very dry. Garcia states that in the irri- 

 gated sections of New Mexico most growers transplant the slips 



