1754 



SWEET I'J 



years after Mr. Eckford's introduction of a new variety 

 our seedsmen are able to offer tlie seed at a price within 

 the reach of every gardener. For a small outlay these 

 novelties can be planted in masses unthought of by 

 European gardeners 



California has done much m r thnn tin fir the 

 Sweet Pea, however Tli ^ t I 1 I I soil 



and climate, the vines shi | i i iiiier 



and succumbing to the i I I I I I t diy 



weather which prevails ] t oui 



country. To a certain i \ i ity 



of this flower has been 1 in 



states. In the effort i I r to 



changed conditions an 1 1 i i wth 



soon appeared in tlie Calif mix tiel K h\\ui^ i low 

 compact, spreading habit The dense, deep green foil 

 age lying closely to the soil, serves to mulch, ihade and 

 protect the strong network of roots lying beneath the 

 surface. This type is known as the Cupid Sweet Pea 

 That it is apparently due to climatic influence is readily 

 shown bv the lari;e number of distinct varieties we 

 now have with this type of growth, many of which 

 originated directly from the tall varieties, and not from 

 sports of the original Cupid. This Cupid Sweet Pea 

 succeeds excellently in hot, dry weather, and exposed 

 dry locations where success with the tall varieties is 

 exceptional. Conversely, the Cupid type does not suc- 



desirable 



ceed in cool, moist locations where the tall sorts do 

 best, as the dense foliage does not dry out readily and 

 is inclined to mildew. 



Two other distinct types have been originated in this 

 country, the Bush Sweet Pea, which stands half-way 

 between the Cupid and tall Sweet Peas in growth, 

 needing no trellis or support but with the foliage held 

 well above the soil and the flower-stems of greater 

 length than in the compact Cupids. This type is also 

 especially adapted to hot weather and dry soils, having 

 a splendidly developed system of fine fibrous roots. 

 The second type is the result of breeding and selection, 

 as exemplified in Burpee Earliest of All, which has 

 the true vine-like or running growth, but grows only 18 

 inches high and comes into full flower greatly in 

 advance of the taller varieties of Sweet Peas without 

 any sacrifice of size in the flower or of length in the 

 stems. With this variety and early planting a great 

 show of flowers may be had even in the southern 

 states. Its early flowering habit makes it the most 

 desirable of all varieties to grow under glass for winter 

 flowering. Heretofore, the enthusiasm for Sweet Peas 

 has been mainly in the cooler northern states, but with 

 fall planting of the tall sorts and the adoption of the 

 Cupid and Bush varieties for summer flowering in the 

 hotter locations, there is no reason why they cannot be 

 grown under more widely varying conditions than any 

 other popular flower. g. d. Daklington. 



SWEET POTATO. Ipomrra Batatas, which see for 

 botanical account. An edible tuberous root, nmcli 

 prized in North America, a staple article of food in all 

 the southern states, and also much consumed in the 

 North. The Sweet Potato plant is a trailing vine of the 

 morning-glory family. The branches root at the joints. 

 The edible tubers, Pig. 2445, are borne close together 

 under the crown and unlike the common potato they 



SWEET POTATO 



do not bear definite "eyes." The varieties differ greatly 

 in length of vine and the "vineless" Sweet Potato has 

 a bushy habit. Good commercial varieties that are 

 well cared for rarely bloom, and even then the flow- 

 ers may not produce seed. The plant is tender to 

 frost. The species is widely .Ij-rivl^it'-'l iii troniiMl 



regions but is supposed to ' ' \,,,.i,. t jn. 



It has been cultivated from ; iIm- 



aborigines. The plant is ex. : : ^ < . us 



leaves (Fig. 2446), and thr \;iii.ih ~ :.<■■ ■inmiums 

 classifled on the foliar characti-rs. In tlir s..utli.>;ist- 

 ern states the word "potato" usuallv nifaus sweet 

 potato, the potato of the North Ijeiug known as 

 "Irish," "round " and "white " potato. 



The Sweet Potato crop amounts to fifty million 

 bushels annually. Large quantities aie grown in the 

 Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Vii 

 ginia and New Jersey, the last stati being the farthest 

 point north where the crop is i n i 1 n a large scale 

 In California the yield i, aN . 1 i - j i ti ul irlv in the 

 interior valleys and in placis i i i \ 1 ti ni the influ 

 ence of the coast climates II ^ t 1 t t is propa 

 gated by means of its tnl i 1 l slii,^ t r 



cuttings which aiis i lu 



beds or frames It i 



llgSI 



I taki 



bushel of ordlnar^ ^ i i II I m 



to 5,000 plants if thf s].ioiits in t ikeii oft t\M. e Vn 

 average good ^ leld of Sweet Potatoes is 200^00 bushels 

 per acre. Yields twice as high as these are sonietiines 

 secured. 



In the northern states amateurs occasionally grow 

 Sweet Potatoes of the southern types in a small way on 

 ridges in the garden, but it is usually for the pleasure 

 of the experience rather than for profit. A warm, 

 sunny climate, long season, loose warm soil, liberal 

 supply of moisture in the growing season and a less 

 sup|ily when the tubers are maturing — these are some 

 of tlie requirements of a good Sweet Potato crop. The 

 crop should be gathered immediately after the first frost. 



ith; 



soft an 

 flriii, 



In the North 



type. Certain varicii.'s ,,r Swrri r,.t:it.,rs :m- calliMl 

 ""yams "in the South, but this uaim- bfl.inss historirnlly 

 to a very different kind of plant, for an account of 

 which see Dioseorea. 



There are two special American books on Sweet Pota- 

 toes, bv Fitz and Price. For history, see Sturtevaut in 

 Amer. Nat., Aug.. 1891, pp. 098, 699. Some of the most 

 important bulletins are Farmers' Bull. 26, U. S. Dept. 

 Agric. and Ga. 25 by Hugh N. Stames. Md. 59 and 00 

 deal with the insects and diseases. l. jj. B. 



COMMEKCIAL ChLTIVATION OF THE SWEET POTATO. — 



The cultivation of the Sweet Potato as a staple crop is 

 confined almost exclusively to the southern states. 

 While it is true that the Sweet Potato occupies large 

 aieas in New Jersey and is al o planted more or le s 

 extensively throughout portions of Illinois In liana m 1 

 Ohio by far the greater bulk of the ciop is to 1 e fo ii 1 

 below the 38th paiallel of 1 t t 1 H i e tl e c lit iial 

 details here given as well 1 1 on lis 



eases are compile! fioin a dpoint 



Methods vary but little I t enters 



less as a factor into Sweet 1 ito anv 



othei horticultural industry For this 



verj reason it is remarkable tl it th ho 1 1 occur 



such extraordinary a ariations in t> f e a ai e e% er\ where 

 noted and for which local ei\ir in nt if an\tl ng 

 shoul 1 1 e hel 1 responsible ^ 11 1 van i 



tioiis that with lit aj I aic t 



socallel — n le con cth \ - II 



devel f when trai ferre 1 



pla e f on n after a fe i il 



hand of half a d zen d ft i t g i t tl t 



many di tinct types each differing materially from the 

 original in its more important characteristics — j loluc 

 t % 1 t It I 1 t ai 1 1 1 t f wth This 



in I t 1 e m the 



t a lobe 

 1 1 form or 



