48 SWEET POTATO CULTURE. 



day, throwing in hciips, after dividing the large from the 

 small — turning all about — then to liaul up to a place 

 rather sloping, and the earth dug out to a hard founda- 

 tion ; the potatoes were put on the ground and covered 

 with corn-stalks long enough to go from the bottom of the 

 trench to the top of the bank, with small ones to fill up 

 the cracks, so that you could not see the potatoes at all ; 

 they then commenced at the bottom to cover with earth, 

 so there would be a good thickness of it all the w^ay up 

 (using no straw or bark), leaving the top open, and put a 

 good shelter over it, to cover the entire bank, I never 

 knew of any potatoes to be lost under any circum- 

 stances, managed as above. Now, let all make a trial 

 of this plan, and see for themselves if it is not a good 

 one." — McDufSe, in "Southern Cultivator." 



A correspondent of the "North Carolina Farmer " gives 

 his mode : " The first thing to be done in order to raise 

 good i)otatoes, as in all other crops, is to drain the land 

 thoroughly. The better the land is drained the better 

 the potatoes will be to eat, the better they will yield, 

 and the better they will keep. The great secret, or luck, 

 as it is often termed, in keeping potatoes, is in having 

 the land on which they are raised dry — made so by drain- 

 ing whenever it is necessary. If they are raised on such 

 land, there is no difficulty in keeping them. There are 

 three things to be observed, viz. : Neither to let them 

 get too hot, or too cold, or too wet. To keep them from 

 getting too cold, if put up m hills for keeping, protect 

 them by putting plenty of earth around them, except at 

 the top of the hill (where a vent is left until danger of 

 getting too cold, when it should be closed), but con-, 

 sidcrable cold may occur before this would become neces- 

 sary ; then cover well with straw or leaves, or. in other 

 words, keep all parts of the hill or mound, from top to 

 bottom, well covered to keep out the cold, with the hole 

 uncovered in mild weather to let out the heat. Many a 



