THE GARDEN 67 



Some of the root crops were probably the first crops ever 

 cultivated by men. In the Philippines and in most other 

 tropical lands, the sweet potato, or camote, is the most 

 important of them. The sweet potato is the root of the 

 plant called Ipomoca Batatas, which belongs to the morn- 

 ing-glory genus. It is a native of tropical America, prob- 

 ably about Panama or farther north ; but in the Old 

 World it has also been cul- _ - 



tivated from very ancient 

 times. It has so long been 

 grown without the use of 

 seed that it very rarely forms Fia 45 ' Sweet potato or camote 

 any ; and even the flowers are uncommon in some places. 

 Planting and Cultivating the Camote. Sweet potatoes 

 are reproduced by cutting off the end of a vigorously 

 growing vine, and putting the cut end in moist ground 

 where it will take root. As often as once a year, it is 

 advisable to use roots for propagation instead of an old 

 vine. For this purpose, the roots are buried close 

 together, about 10 cm deep, in rich ground. In a few 

 weeks there are many vine branches growing from each 

 root, and the tips of these are cut off and used in the 

 way just described. In most parts of the Philippines 

 the sweet potatoes are of poor quality, being small and 

 stringy. Poor cultivation is a cause of both of these de- 

 fects. This plant wants soil which is light, but rich. 



What shape have the leaves of the sweet potato? 

 What shape is the sweet potato? 

 How large do sweet potatoes grow? 



