Sweet Potato 



221 



(1) Slips are the sprouts that arise from tubers when 

 the}^ are planted or buried. Tubers of medium size are 

 laid on' a mild hotbed and covered two inches deep with 

 loose earth or leaf-mold. In the extreme South the tubers 

 are sometimes " bedded " in loose warm earth, without 

 bottom heatj but unless the weather is settled they are 

 likel}^ to rot and the vegetation is slow. When the shoots 

 are 3 to 5 inches high they are broken off next the tuber 

 and set in the field. Roots will have formed while they 

 were still attached to the tuber. Two to four crops of 

 " slips " or " draws " may be taken from one tuber. The 

 tuber is usually planted whole ; but large and sound tubers 

 may be cut in two lengthwise and the cut side laid down- 

 wards, although this treatment invites decay. Six to eight 

 bushels of seed potatoes produce sufficient plants to set 

 an acre if " drawn " once, or half that quantity if " drawn " 

 three or four times; 4,000 plants is a large yield from a 

 bushel. About two months are required to produce salable 

 plants for set- | — ' r 



planted or most vigorous vines; sometimes a few vines are 

 set very early for the particular purpose of securing plants 

 for the remainder of the field. The cutting is usually 10 



ting. 



(2) Cut- 

 tings are 

 made from 

 the ends of 

 vines. They 

 are taken 

 from the 

 earliest- 



119. Sweet potatoes ready for covering. 



