CHAPTEE II 

 IMPORTANCE AND DISTRIBUTION 



The growing of the sweet potato has become one of 

 the most important food-producing industries. The 

 extension of this crop has been continually on the in- 

 crease for the past several years and it now ranks sec- 

 ond only to the Irish potato as a vegetable in the United 

 States. The value of the crop in 1917 reached the 

 hitherto unparalleled sum of $96,121,000 and that of 

 1918 was estimated at $116,867,000. 



Although always grown to a limited extent by prac- 

 tically every farmer in the cotton-belt, the sweet potato 

 until recently has been accorded a secondary place in 

 the average southern rotation. The increasing demand 

 for the crop is, however, revolutionizing former cul- 

 tural and storage methods and with its wide adaptabil- 

 ity to various climatic and soil conditions, its ease of 

 production, and with an increasing appreciation of its 

 value as food resulting in its introduction into new sec- 

 tions, within the last few years there has been a rapid 

 increase in popular favor of the crop. Alabama, pro- 

 ducing only 6,290,000 bushels in 1916, almost doubled 

 this yield in 1918 when it produced 14,688,000 

 bushels. (Tables I to V.) With the exception of 

 certain western sections, a similar though perhaps less 

 increased interest in production has been experienced 

 over almost the entire sweet potato area. (Tables T 

 toV.) 



