SWEET POTATOES, ROOTS. 59 



or four feet distant, and about two feet apart in the rows, using a 

 good shovelful of well rotted manure, mixed in, for each hill. They 

 are always planted in light, sandy soil, heavy soils being entirely uncon- 

 genial to the nature of the root. As they advance in growth the rows 

 are hilled up with the plow in the same manner as ordinary potatoes, 

 care being taken, however, to prevent the shoots, as they hang over* 

 from rooting in the sand. This is done by running along the rows 

 occasionally under them with the hand to break the young roots and 

 keep them from striking into the soil. If this is not done, it would 

 divert the growth from the main root, and the tubers would be small 

 and nearly worthless. In the Northern States sweet potatoes must 

 always be used previous to December, unless they can be kept in a warm 

 place. The ordinary cellar, which is suitable for the common potato, 

 will quickly rot the sweet potato. In the Southern States they are 

 kept in pits in the open ground in much the same way as we keep 

 ordinary potatoes North; but the temperature of the sand is of course 

 much higher in Florida and other extreme Southern States than it is 

 North. Most of the sweet potatoes that find their way to our Northern 

 markets in the winter and spring months are grown in Georgia, South 

 Carolina and other Southern States. They are preserved in the South 

 by storing them in houses specially built for that purpose. The 

 potatoes are packed in boxes not more than eighteen inches deep, which 

 are placed in tiers one above the other, leaving spaces between for 

 ventilation. But in extreme cold weather it is necessary that the 

 apartment should be heated in some way so that the temperature at 

 no time is allowed to fall below fifty degrees. There is no necessity 

 for packing anything around them, as, if the heat in the apartment is 

 sufficient, they will keep by the air circulating around them among 

 the shelves or boxes in which they are placed. Probably the best 

 temperature at which sweet potatoes can be kept in winter is sixty 

 degrees. 



ROOTS FOR FEEDING. 



(Mr. H.) The most important of all the root crops used for feeding 

 are mangels and turnips. These have been largely grown in Europe 

 for more than thirty years, and considering how well the American 

 climate and soil are adapted for their culture, it is surprising that so 

 little attention has hitherto been given to them in this country. It 

 is more particularly surprising when we consider our special necessi- 

 ties, arising out of our long, dry summers, which diminish the yield of the 

 hay and other fodder crops; as well as our long winter feeding season, 

 in which some succulent fodder, such as roots, is so useful to feed 



