THE SWEET POTATO. 9 



Potato the Editor of the " Southern Planter and Farmer" 

 once said: '*We may urge what we please, in connec- 

 tion with the Hanover Sweet Potato, and still not be 

 deemed extravagant by any one at all acquainted with the 

 excellence of this glorious tuber." An intelligent corre- 

 spondent of " The American Farmer," Baltimore, says . 

 "For our main crop of Sweet Potatoes for table use, we 

 prefer the old 'Yellow Sweet' of Maryland and Virginia, 

 called Yellow Nansemond at the North, known in the 

 lower counties of the Eastern Shore, and the maritime 

 counties of Virginia, and further south, almost exclu- 

 sively by that name." 



The Spanish Potato. — In tide-water Virginia, par- 

 ticularly on the eastern shore of both Maryland and 

 Virginia, every farmer grows, besides the mam crop, a 

 fevv "Spanish Potatoes" for home use, though they are 

 not usually eaten until the depth of winter, when they 

 become "fat," as it is termed. Those who have never 

 eaten a " fat " Spanish potato, do not yet know the capa- 

 bilities of the Sweet Potato. But the " Spanish " is not 

 productive, and it requires deeper soil and better culture 

 for its long, gmger-like roots, and is seldom grown for 

 market. This correspondent also says, in regard to 



"The Southern Queen": " It is the earliest of all 

 Sweet Potatoes. It was introduced some years ago from 

 South America. It is in eating condition here, near 

 Baltimore, usually by the middle of July, and when 

 first dug is generally in good eating condition. As the 

 season progresses, and during the fall and early winter, 

 they are generally too wet to suit Southern palates ; 

 while during this time the Yellow potatoes are in their 

 glory. It is for keeping qualities that the * Southern 

 Queen ' stands unrivalled. As a variety to begin and 

 prolong the Sweet Potato season, there is nothing to com- 

 pare with the * Southern Queen.' The root is very large, 



