298 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
THE SWEET POTATO 
Sweet-potato plants may be grown from roots in hot- 
beds or in window boxes in sand or fine soil. Cover the 
roots to a depth of two inches and keep moist but not 
too wet. They may be grown at home or in schoolrooms 
at the ordinary temperature. Start them about a month 
before the plants are to be set out. After they are four 
or five inches long, pull them without disturbing the 
roots. The same roots will continue yielding sprouts. 
Soil. Sweet potatoes grow best on rich, light, sandy 
soil. Before the plants are set out, the soil may be given 
a dressing of barnyard manure; they may be planted 
on level soil, but some prefer growing them on ridges 
made by throwing two furrows together. 
Setting out plants. Plants may be set eighteen inches 
apart, keeping three feet between the rows. They should 
be set some deeper than in the sprouting box or hotbed. 
Water the plants as they are set out. Transplant on a 
cloudy day if possible. Shading the vines for a day or 
two will give them a vigorous start. 
Culture. Keep a surface mulch over the ground until 
the vines cover it, and pull any weeds that may come up. 
Harvesting. Leave the roots in the ground until frost. 
Much growing is done late in the season. When frosts 
set in, cut off the vines with a hoe; the crop may be dug 
later. Sweet potatoes that have had the vines injured 
by frosts will lose much of their flavor. Store the roots 
in boxes of sand ina dry cellar out of the reach of frost. 
