SOILS OF THE SASSAFRAS SEEIES. 21 



Upon western Long Island early Irish potatoes are the most exten- 

 sive crop grown upon this type. The yields vary considerably under 

 the management of different growers and under different seasonal 

 conditions. It may. be said that the high fertilization and careful 

 cultivation given the crop usually result in yields ranging from 125 

 to 150 bushels per acre. The latter yield is sometimes exceeded. 

 The early Irish potatoes grown upon the Sassafras sand in both New 

 Jersey and upon Long Island are usually smooth, mealy tubers, 

 which command a high market price. They reach the market in 

 succession with the Irish potatoes grown in the Norfolk section, in 

 the eastern shore counties of Virginia, and immediately after the 

 crop from central Delaware. The New Jersey crop usually comes 

 on the market in late July and early August, while the Long Island 

 crop is marketed in greatest quantity from the latter part of August 

 to early September. The crops grown upon other soil types in these 

 same regions are usually a week or more later in date of maturity 

 than the potatoes harvested from the Sassafras sand. 



The Sassafras sand exerts a strong influence upon the production 

 of sweet potatoes in New Jersey. From Trenton, N. J., southward to 

 the vicinity of Bridgeton, N. J., extensive fields of sweet potatoes 

 are annually grown. This is the northern limit of production for this 

 crop upon any extended scale. It is only upon the more sandy and 

 warmer soils that the crop is successfully produced in this latitude. 

 Hence the Sassafras sand and the associated Sassafras fine sand 

 come to be the chosen sweet-potato soils of the New Jersey growers. 



The importance of the sweet-potato crop upon the Sassafras sand 

 is clearly shown through the fact that 55 per cent of the total acreage 

 in sweet potatoes and nearly 60 per cent of the total yield for the 

 State of New Jersey are grown in the counties of Gloucester and 

 Salem, largely upon this type and upon the Sassafras fine sand. The 

 average yield of sweet potatoes for the State is approximately 142 

 bushels per acre, but the average yield from Gloucester County, which 

 may be taken as representing very closely that of the Sassafras sand 

 and fine sand, is in excess of 162 bushels per acre. 



Both early Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes also constitute im- 

 portant crops upon the Sassafras sand in Anne Arundel County, Md. 



Tomatoes, both for direct marketing and for the purpose of can- 

 ning, are grown to some extent upon the Sassafras sand. In New 

 Jersey the crop is chiefly grown for direct marketing as early in the 

 season as possible. The soil type is conveniently located near to im- 

 mediate markets and the tomatoes are frequently transported by 

 wagon from the fields to the retail or wholesale markets of Camden 

 and Philadelphia. A field of tomatoes on the Sassafras sand is shown 

 in Plate II, figure 1. 



