SWEET-POTATO 



443 



single lath, having a base hollowed out and covered with 

 leather, or (2) wooden tongs made of two laths (Fig. 192). 



On many farms, it is customary to 

 wait for a rain and to transplant the 

 slips or vine cuttings only after a rain. 

 If the. land has been well prepared and 

 repeatedly harrowed, it is not neces- 

 sary to wait on the weather. Some 

 growers prefer to set slips without a 

 rain. In the latter case, it is usual to 

 water the plants. The water serves 

 to settle the soil more closely around 

 the stem than would be possible if 

 reliance were placed entirely on the 

 moisture in the soil. After watering 

 sweet-potatoes or any other plant, one 

 must be careful to cover the watered 

 spots with a thin layer of dry soil, to 

 prevent evaporation and baking. 



416. Transplanting machines. 



FIG. 192. DEVICES 



FOR SETTING SwEET- 



POTATO SLIPS AND 

 VINE-CUTTINGS. 



FIG. 193. A TRANSPLANTING MACHINE. 



When a large acre- 

 age is cultivated in 

 sweet-potatoes, it is 

 profitable to employ 

 a transplanting 

 machine (Fig. 193). 

 It sets and waters 

 the plants as fast 

 as the team pulls 

 the machine along 

 the rows. Two men 



