For the Southern States. 



59 



of tlie sun, much more nutritious than tlie Irisli Potato on account 

 of the great amount of saccharine matter it contains, and no south- 

 ern table shoukl be found without it from the first day of August 

 till the last day of May. Some plant early in spring the potato 

 itseif in the i)repared ridges, and cut the vine from the potato 

 when large ejiough, and plant them out; others start the potatoes 

 in a bed prepared expressly for that purpose, and slip oft' the 

 sprouts as they come up, and set these out. The latter method 

 will produce the earliest potatoes, others who set out the vines, 

 say that they make tbe 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 top. If every- 

 thing is ready and time for planting has arrived do not wait for 

 a rain, make a paste of clay and cow manure, in this dip tbe roots 

 of the slips and press the earth firmly around them. Old slips are 

 more tenacious of life than young ones, and will under these cir- 

 cumstances answer best. Watering afterwards, if dry weather 

 continues, of course, will be beneficial. Otherwise plant your 

 vines or slips ju^t before or after a rain. Two feet apart in the 

 row is considered a good distance. The ridges should never be 

 disturbed by a plow from the time they are made until the pota- 

 toes are ready to be dug. 



Scrape off the grass and young weeds with the hoe and pull 

 up the large ones by hand. Grab grass is peculiarly inimical to 

 the sweet potato and should be kept carefully 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 fiishioned [)otato 

 bank is the best arrangement for keeping them, the main points 

 being a dry place and ventilation. Varieties generally cultivated 

 in tbe South. 



The Yam. Taking into consideration quality and produc- 

 tiveness the Yam stands at the head of the list. Frequently 

 when baked, the saccharine matter in the shape of candy will be 

 seen hanjiing to tbem in strings. Skin and flesh yellow, and 

 very sweet. Without a doubt, the best potato for family use. 



Southern Queen. Very similar to tbe former, but 

 smoother, the tubers having no veins or very few. 



Shang-hai or California Yam. This is the earliest 

 variety we have, frequently, under favorable circumstances, giv- 

 ing good sized tubers two months after planting the vine. Very 

 l)roductive, haAnng 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 Sweet Potatoes highly 

 prized in the West, but are not appreciated here. The Eed and 

 Yellow jSTansemond are of fine quality and productive, but will 

 not sell so well as the California Yam when taken to market. 

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



