150 Southern Gardener^s Practical Manual 



to save dry sand during the summer or fall, stored 

 where it will remain dry until needed, and fill all spaces 

 between the potatoes with this, spreading the potatoes 

 in layers and pouring the sand on each layer . as the 

 bank is formed to keep the potatoes separated and to 

 keep out mice. In my experience, mice often start the 

 rot by pulping a mass of the meat of the potatoes, 

 which starts fermentation. Potatoes grown in sandy 

 soils usually keep well in this way. Not more than 

 twenty-five bushels should be put into a bank of this 

 kind. Some store in sand in cellars, some build potato- 

 houses and store in sand covered thickly with straw, etc. 

 Uncle Peter, one of my grandfather's old slaves, dug a 

 pit under the floor of his cabin in front of the fireplace, 

 and stored in that. He had seed potatoes for sale every 

 spring. The surest method is described in the following 

 extract from Bulletin 71 of the South Carolina Experi- 

 ment Station. Following this method, each family may 

 put up enough in the fall for a table supply. 



NUW ME TROD OF EVAPORATING SWEET POTATOES 



Three years ago the solution of the problem of how 

 to introduce the sweet potato to commerce was under- 

 taken. There were two difficulties to be overcome : First, 

 to render the potato less perishable, and second, to 

 reduce its weight and thus render its shipment to distant 

 markets practicable. 



The question of varieties, fertilization and cultivation 

 had been exhaustively studied. That large crops can be 

 produced at small cost has been demonstrated. That 



