Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 495 



September 28, 1869. 



Nathan C. Ely, Esq., in the chair. 

 Sweet Potatoes. 



S. J. Brownson, Osborn, Mo. — Having been a constant reader of 

 your reports, I respectfully request information, through your paper, 

 concerning the culture of sweet potatoes. 



Mr. J. B. Lyman. — It is a mooted question how far north the 

 sweet potato can be grown with profit. Above forty degrees, or a 

 line drawn through Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, not many are 

 raised. South of that line it shares the affections of farmers equally 

 with the round potato. In the Carol inas the season is long enough 

 to make a crop without artificial heat in sprouting ; but in Missouri 

 some arrangement for producing heat is desirable. The following is 

 recommended to Mr. Brownson : 



Sink a pit two or three feet deep, fifty long, and eight wide. At 

 one end build an arch of brick about as long and big as can be set 

 over the halves of a big hogshead split up and down, and set end to 

 end, open side down. At the end of this arch make a small flue by 

 putting two brick on end and laying another across. Have a short 

 chimney at the back end of the pit. Drive stakes at the sides ; level 

 their tops and lay a rude platform over the flue about a foot above 

 the brick. Make sides to it a foot high and bank it in all around. 

 Kindle a fire and this hole or pit will come up to eighty degrees or 

 thereabout, and stay there a long time. Sprinkle the platform over 

 the flue with earth and on this earth lay your sweet potatoes half an 

 inch apart. Cover them two or two and one-half inches deep, and 

 sprinkle often enough to keep the bed duly moist. In a few days 

 you will have thousands of plants for yourself, and you can sell 

 enough to pay for all the pains you have taken. If the first set are 

 broken ofi', others will sprout at once. You will need a fire, off and 

 on, about three weeks. There is no use in preaching the doctrine 

 that big potatoes will grow on a dry, sandy soil without manure. It 

 is not so. A warm soil is best, but if you want size and profit, you 

 must have fertility. Hill up well. A sweet potato wants heat ; it 

 naturally loves the sun. Work well, but not often. If weeds come 

 after the vines are spreading, pull them up by hand. 



Making Ice. 

 W. Taliferro, M. D., of Gloucester Court House, Virginia, would 

 like information as to the best, simplest and cheapest mode of produc- 



