70 



RICHARD FROTSCflER's ALMANAC AND GARDEN MANUAL 



THE SWEET POTATO. 



Convolvulus Batatas. 



The sweet Potato is next to corn the most nnportant 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 

 is a plant of a 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 tlie potato itself in the prepared ridges, 

 and cut the vine from the potato when large enough, and plant them oat; 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 j^roduce 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 apart, well drawn up and rather flat on toi». If everything is ready, 

 and time for planting has arrived, do not wait for a rain, make a paste ®f 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 auswer 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 and 3'oung weeds with the hoe, and pull up the large ones 

 by hand. Crab grass is peculiarly inimical to the sweet potato, and should be 

 carefully 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 will do no harm. 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 in the South. 



The YauB. Taking into considera- 

 tion quality and productiveness, the 

 Yam stands at the head of the list. 

 Frequently, when baked, the saccharine 

 matter in the shape of candy will be seen 

 hanging to them in strings. Skin and 

 flesh yellow and very sweet. AVithout 

 a doubt, the best potato for family use. 



Southern Queen. Very similar to 

 the former, but smoother, the tubers 

 having no veins or very few ; it is earlier. 



Shang:hai or California Taui. 

 This is the earliest variety/we have. 



frequently, under favorable circum- 

 stances, giving good sized tubers two 

 months after planting the vine. Very 

 productive, having given 300 bushels per 

 acre when planted early and on rich 

 land. Is almost the only kind cultivated 

 for the New Orleans market. Skin dull 

 white or yellow, flesh white, dry and 

 mealy, in large specimens frequently 

 stringy. 



There are some other varieties of Sw^eet Potatoes highly prized in the West, but 

 not appreciated here. The Red and Yellow Nansemond are of a fine quality and 

 productive, but will not sell so well as the California Yam, when taken to market. 

 For home consumption they are fine, and deserve to be cultivated. 



