310 The Principles of Vegetable- Qardening 



SWEET POTATO 



A warm sunny climate, long season, loose warm soil, 

 liberal supply of moisture in the growing season and a 

 less supply when the tubers are maturing — these are 

 some of the requirements of a good sweet potato crop. 

 The plant is tender to frost. It is propagated by 

 means of its tubers, usually from the slips or cuttings 

 which arise when the tubers are planted in beds or 

 frames. 



The sweet potato is one of the leading crops of the 

 South, and it is extensively grown as far north as the 

 sandy lands of New Jersey. In the northern states it 

 is often grown in a small way on ridges in the garden. 



It is the custom to grow all varieties from "slips " or 

 " draws, although the Spanish variety may be cut and 

 planted like the Irish potato. The slips are grown in 

 beds and transplanted to the field. Many growers prefer 

 to plant only a small part of the field with the slips 

 and the remainder with the prunings from the growth 

 of these slips. Propagation is usually accomplished by 

 means of slips and cuttings. (1) Slips are the sprouts 

 which arise from tubers when they are planted or 

 buried. Tubers of medium size are laid on a mild hot- 

 bed and covered two inches deep with loose soil or leaf- 

 mold. In the extreme south the tubers are sometimes 

 "bedded" in loose, warm earth, without bottom heat, 

 but unless the weather is settled the tubers are likely to 

 rot an^ the vegetation is slow. When the shoots are 

 3-5 inches high they are broken off next the tuber and 

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



