FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. 67 
a a emcee 
elongated, very uniform and quite pro- ; excellent table quality; more mealy 
ductive. Eyes flat on the body ofthe , than the Early Rose, but smaller. 
tuber, but compressed on the seed end, White Hlephamt. This variety has 
Skin white, flesh very fine grained, and | again given entire satisfaction the past 
when boiled, snow-white. season. ‘The tubers are large and of ex- 
Beauty of Hebrom. I have tried | cellent quality; planted alongside of the 
this variety thoroughly and found it in | Peerless, it produced fully one third 
every particular as has been repre- | more than that variety. 
sented. {t is earlier than the Early Rural Blush. Second early, tubers 
Rose, which resembles it very much, ; roundish flattened, blush skin, flesh 
being a little lighter and more russetted | slighted with pink. Very dry and of 
in color. It is very productive and of : excellent quality. A heavy yielder. 
THE SWEET POTATO. 
* = & Convolvulus Batatas. 
The sweet Potato is next to corn the most important food crop in the South. 
They are a wholesome and nutritious diet, good for man and beast. Though cul- 
tivated to a limited extent on the sandy lands of New Jersey and some of the middle 
States, it thrives best on the light rich lands of the South, which bring their red 
and golden fruits to greatest perfection under the benign rays of a southern sun. It 
ig a plant ofa warm climate, a’child of the sun, much more nutritious than the Irish 
Potato on account of the great amount of saccharine matter it contains, and no 
southern table should be found without it from the first day of August till the last 
day of May. Some plant early in spring the potato itself in the prepared ridges, 
and cut the vine from the potato when large enough, and plant them out; others ° 
start the potatoes in a bed prepared expressly for that purpose, and slip off the 
sprouts as they come up, and set these out. The latter method will produce the 
earliest potatoes; others who set the vines, say that they make the largest tubers. 
In preparing the land the soil should be thoroughly pulverized, the ridges laid off 
about five feet apari, well drawn up and rather flat ontop. Ifevery thing is ready, 
and time for planting has arrived, do not wait fora rain, make a paste of clay and 
cow manure; in this dip the roots of the slips and press the earth firmly around 
them. Old slips are more tenacious of life than young ones, and will under cir- 
cumstances answer best, Watering afterwards, if dry weather continues, of course 
will be beneficial. Otherwise plant your vines and slips just before or after a rain. 
Two feet apart in the rows is considered a good distance. The ridges should never 
be disturbed by a plow from the time they are made until the potatoes are ready to 
be dug. 
Scrape off the grass ae young weeds with the hoe, and pull up the large ones 
by hand. Crab grass is peculiarly inimical to the sweet potato, and should be 
earefully kept out of the patch. The vines should never be allowed to take root 
between the rows. Sweet potatoes should be dug before a heavy frost occurs; a 
very light one willdonoharm. The earth should be dry enough to keep it from 
sticking to the potatoes. The old fashioned potato bank is the best arrangement 
for keeping them, the main points being a dry place and ventilation. 
Varieties generally cultivated vn the South. 
The Yam. ‘Taking into considera- | flesh yellow and very sweet. Without 
tion quality and productiveness, the | a doubt, the best potato for family use. 
Yam stands at the head of the list. Southerm Queen. Very similar to 
Frequently, when baked, the saccharine | the former, but smoother, the tubers 
matter in the shape of candy will beseen | having no veins or very few; itis earlier. 
hanging to them in strings. Skin and 
