1756 



SWEET POTATO 



are stored in large bulk, without sufficient 

 opportunity to dry out. It is periiaps the 

 main cause of loss with stored potatoes, 

 developing rapidly and immediately, under 

 favoring conditions, and reducing, some- 



veeks, the 



of a bin or hill (■. n i.n!..v „.:,-- of cor- 

 ruption, I'M! IN I,,.. -1 ,1 -'m-odor. 



A few si,,,;-. ,.■:..:,, , . • •,,,-, will 



greatly r..l , . !■ ., , i-,-: (1) 



Dig only «lirii ^,.ii i^ ,iri i j i Dig be- 

 fore tubers lu'conu- saj)!)}' froni a "second 

 growth." (3) Remove all affected tubers 

 before storing. (4) Use padded baskets 

 in handling to avoid abrasion. (5) Store 

 in small bulk and keep dry and well ven- 

 tilated. 



(6) Black RotiCerulocjistis fimbriaia): 

 The fungus producing this affection does 



epen 





I of 



selection — 1st, of sound tul)ers for bed- 

 ding; 2d, of perfectly healthy draws for 

 setting; 3d, where these conditions can- 

 not be fully complied Willi, I, V |.l.-iiitingthe 

 bulk of the crop wuli niMn. - Iimiii the 

 vines, thus minimi i: ! ■, . The 



use of copper sulfai. , .1 . -i Mm stand- 

 ard fungicides, cilli. r a, a |.ia\ i.r for 

 soaking the tubers, is not advisaiile; for, 

 since the mycelium of most of the fungi 

 causing decay in the Sweet Potato is 

 lodged in and protected by the interior 

 cells of the tuber, surface treatment would 

 prove more or less futile. 



(c) Soil lint (Aeroci/xtis Bntalas): This 

 fungus, as its aame implies, is a resident 

 of the soil rather than of the tuber, and 

 hence cannot be readily guarded against. 

 It is responsible for most of the decay 

 observed in the crevices or cracks of split 

 tubers. Sudden expansion of vegetable 

 tissue due to a resumption of rapid growth 

 when wet weather follows a period of 

 drought, particularly when the soil is a 

 stiff cl.av, produces the primary "crack- 

 1 "• an 1 tl e spores of the fungus fir d ng 

 a r ady 1 Ign it st it tl e process of de 

 ca-\ Asf rrei el 1 a\y appl citions 

 ot If r to tl p s 1 1 I ci f 1 1 to 



1 1 r It this 



the 



lie I II true 



for an\ inl ill r t - i t i The 

 same areas should ne\ er Ic j lai ted in 

 potatoes two jears in s ic e s n n r 

 h I 1 tl I ot be used t ice for a 



1 1 1 iws even at tl e cobt 



e in estibhshmg the 



Several otherfungi are 

 H t the Sweet Potato as the 



sten r f wliterot dry rot potato scurf 

 leaf 1 1 ght etc but their ravages will 

 not compare with the damage produced 

 by the first three— soft rot, black rot and 



As for the first three, it matters little 



of Sweet Potato. 



to the practical grower whether or not he Georgia Experimei^ Station. 



SWEET POTATO 



is able to distinguish one from another. 

 After the conditions favoring the spreail 

 of one of them have been iiennitted i,, 

 develop and the resultint; .1. ,a\ ..nr. ap 

 pears, it is usually too hit. i.. pm nm. 

 dial measures into effect, licine.ly. in tl.is 

 case, must piecede manifestatiuii of dis- 

 ease. Every possible precaution should 

 be observed at one and the same time 

 against them all. Proper preventive effort 

 during harvesting will be found a surer 

 guarantee against loss from decay than 

 the most elaborate structure or the most 

 carefully detailed method of housing yet 

 devised, and when thoroughly enforced 

 little apprehension need be felt as to re- 

 sults, no matter what plan of preserva- 

 tion is adopted. 



To this end the following summary of 

 procedure will be found serviceable: 



a. Rotate the crop. Never plant twice 

 in succession on the same land. 



b. Rotate the bed. Never use old soil 

 or old manure a second season. 



c. Dig only when the soil is dry. 



d. Dig before tubers are rendered moist 

 and sappy by a "second growth," and to 

 this end never plant too early in spring. 



e. Use padded baskets in handling to 

 prevent bruising and abrasion. 



f. Handle with scrupulous care. 



g. Reject all affected tubers before stor- 

 ing. 



h. Store dry, in small bulk; if in bins 

 erect bulkheads and use flues for ventila- 

 tion. 



i. Use only perfect tubers for bedding, 

 rejecting any showing symptoms of decay. 



,j. Use only healthy and unaffected 

 draws for setting out. 



Ic. When draws in bed are affected with 

 diseased roots {black rot) and cannot be 

 thrown away, plant in a separate plat and 

 take cuttings from their vines later for 

 the main crop. 



Varieties. — Since new varieties of 

 the Sweet Potato can originate only by 

 bud variation, it is a marvel where and 

 how all of the different types arise. The 

 writer has personally cultivated and 

 tested some fifty odd kinds, and there 

 doubtless exist, in all, 75 or 80 — the num- 

 ber still increasiiicr. B'lt ..no uniform 

 method of classili' iii.,,. ,,,^i. - tliat by 

 the "leaf" into tn nl.r the 



three heads, "l,. a < ,, "Leaves 



shouldered or Inli. d ai-'l I,, av.s cleft" 

 - commonly t e r in e d " round - leafed," 

 "shouldered" and "split-leafed," respec- 

 tively. Of these the second type is the 

 most numerous, containing probably two- 

 thirds of the entire list. 



As for the best variety, 'the "all-round" 

 potato has not yet been found, nor is it 

 likely to be, since such a type should be 

 a tremendous yielder, of first quality, a 

 safe keeper and free from disease. No 

 potato embodies, superlatively, - all of 

 these characteristics. AH of the heaviest 

 vielilers l.el.iiiEr. unfortunately, to the 

 ■ i:ii.'i . Ml i inpentine" group— as Nor- 

 1 , il -Miitliern Queen, White St. 



|i ' I liolden, etc.,— and their 



^ a; ['\ MMii.|.i,n('y prevents them from 

 kei'ping well, while their qnaliiy is nni 

 formly poor. Regarding qualii . . Iim\vm\ rr. 

 tastes differ. The northern niarkMi piMt. is 

 a dry, mealy potato, repres.nie.l hy tlie 

 Jersey or Nansemond strain. The southern 

 market, on the other hand, demands a 

 rich, sugary potato, like the Georgia or 

 Yellow Yam, which is generally considered 



