142 



POTATOES 



about one half the stem projecting from the ground. In dry 

 weather watering at the time of setting is very helpful. Barrels of 

 water may be hauled and a pint of water may be poured on each 

 plant and a little dry soil used to cover over the wet soil to form a 

 mulch. 



Transplanting machines (Fig. 87) are used in many large fields. 

 These machines are operated by two or three persons. A furrow 

 is opened, the plant set and watered, and 

 the dry soil filled over the watering all at 

 one time. 



Cultivation. — The sweet potato requires 

 a very loose open soil. To attain this, deep 

 tillage is practiced at least during the early 

 part of the growth. Several cultivations 

 are necessary, and one hoeing to remove 

 any weeds is best. 



At the time of the last cultivation the 

 soil is thrown toward the plants to leave it 

 in slight ridges. As the potato vines begin 

 to run, cultivation will be necessary. The 

 ground is well shaded by the vines and is 

 less likely to bake. 



Enemies and Their Control." — Probably 

 the worst enemy of the sweet potato is the 

 stem-rot. This is sometimes very serious 

 and affects much of the crop. Recent ex- 

 periments indicate that the best methods 

 » "iucc short stems and many- f combatting the disease is to select seed 

 potatoes from a field free from the disease. 

 Some immunity to the disease is supposed to exist. Where the 

 season is long enough, cuttings from healthy vines may be rooted 

 early in the season for the rest of the patch. Never use plants 

 from near diseased parts of propagation beds. 



Harvesting Sweet Potatoes. — The crop is very sensitive to fall 

 frost and harvesting should be completed before the first light 

 frosts occur. Avoid digging the crop when the soil is very wet 

 or muddy as the potatoes should be cured as promptly as possible. 

 In bright weather the potatoes may be left on the surface of the 

 ground after digging and allowed to dry before hauling them into 

 storage. Methods of digging are similar to those used for the Irish 

 potato, (1) By hand tools, (2) By plows, (3) By machine diggers. 



Fig. 86. — In sweet potato 

 beds, thin the plants often to 



le 



