618 



SWEET-POTATO 



SWEET-POTATO 



In dry weather, if the ground has been properly- 

 prepared so as to maintain its moisture, and the 

 ridges have been thrown up several days before 

 so as to allow the subsoil moisture to rise, plants 

 can be set with perfect success without a "season." 

 The tops of the ridges are knocked off just ahead 

 of the planting, exposing the moist soil, and the 

 plants, having been lightly dipped at the hot' 

 bed, are dipped in a rather thick batter, so ®J 

 that a considerable mass of mud clings to 

 each plant. They are then dropped and 

 planted at once. Some growers prefer in dry 

 weather to have an extra boy drop a small 

 dipper of water with every plant, and this is 

 undoubtedly a good practice. The object in 

 transplanting is not only to have the plants 

 live, but to have them prosper, and atten- 

 tion to the care of the plants, especially the 

 prompt dipping and the proper watering, will 

 result in the prompt response of the plant. 



The customary distance apart in the row 

 for sweet-potatoes is eighteen inches. With 

 the big-stem Jersey variety the writer pre- 

 fers to plant sixteen inches apart to keep down 

 the size. Some men are able to guess this 

 distance accurately, but as a rule a marker should 

 be made. A common and convenient form is that 

 shown in Fig. 842, which consists of a strip of wood 

 six feet long, on which five cleats, IJxf inch, are 

 screwed. A handle and brace complete the struc- 

 ture. The whole should be light so as readily to be 

 carried by a boy in one hand. One boy goes ahead 

 and marks the places, and another follows with a 

 bundle of plants, dropping the plants at each mark, 

 while a man either with a trowel or dibble, or on 

 very soft ground with the hand, sets out the 

 plants. The handiest tool to use in this way is a 

 rather small mason's trowel. The trowel is thrust 

 into the soft ground with the right hand, the plant 

 slipped in position with the left hand, and while the 

 top is still held the trowel is withdrawn and with 

 a single punch of the fist, the earth is driven com- 

 pactly about it. An average worker, with boys to 

 drop and mark, should set an acre of 7,000 to 8,000 

 plants a day. This is such tiresome work that few 

 men are able to keep it up for many days in suc- 



advantage of the transplanting machine is that it 

 carries its water, enabling the planting to proceed 

 in dry weather ; in fact, it can be used only when 

 the groujid is dry enough to cultivate. As a rule, 

 the ridges need to be a little higher and wider with 

 the machine than with hand-planting. A slow, 

 steady team and a skilful driver are necessary to 



Fig. 842. Hand-marker for the proper spacing of sweet- 

 potato plants. 



cession. The writer has had men set 15,000 plants, 

 or two acres in a day. 



For setting out large areas, say twenty acres or 

 more, it will usually pay to get a transplanting 

 machine. Several of these transplanters are on the 

 market, and work with a fair degree of success 

 when operated by a well-trained crew. One great 



Fig. 843. Transplanting machine setting sweet-potatoes. 



See Figs. 230, 871. 



make straight rows. Two boys quick with their 

 hands are required. When the outfit is working 

 properly, twenty-five to thirty thousand plants a 

 day can be transplanted. 



There are several other methods used in setting 

 out plants, particularly by the New Jersey growers 

 in their soft, sandy soils. One of the simplest 

 planting machines is a lath or stick about the 

 length of a cane, one end of which is two inches 

 wide and distinctly concave; over this concave end 

 a piece of soft leather is tacked. As the boy drops 

 the plant as nearly as possible in its proper place, 

 the man following simply pushes it into the ground 

 by dropping the leather-covered staff over the 

 root-end of the plant. A second thrust is made to 

 force the soil around the plant. More elaborate 

 tongs and planters are used in some places. 



Cultivation. — The first operation in the cultiva- 

 tion of the sweet-potato is ordinarily the splitting 

 out of the middles. A round trip is made with a 

 one-horse plow, throwing against the sides of the 

 ridges the additional soil left undisturbed in mak- 

 ing the ridge. This is done within a week from 

 planting time, or as soon as convenient, and before 

 weeds have started. It is followed before weed- 

 growth begins, and usually within two weeks of 

 planting, by the first cultivation. The cultivator 

 used by the writer is an ordinary five-tooth garden 

 cultivator of the Planet Jr. type, having a narrow 

 (one and one-fourth-inch) tooth to go next to the 

 plants. The rear tooth can be a broad one, so as 

 to throw the dirt to some extent toward the ridge. 

 Straight rows are very necessary for good cultiva- 

 tion. With care, the ground can be disturbed the 

 first time within two inches of the plants. 



The next operation ordinarily is hoeine. Hand- 

 hoeing is one of the most expensive operations and 

 may exceed the cost of planting. To keep down 

 the expense, the writer has used a weeder exten- 

 sively. It is rather difficult to use the weeder to 



