January, 1909.] 



18 



Edible Products. 



Temperature ol the Plant Red. 



As noted above, the temperature of 

 the plant bed should be about SO" or 85° F. 

 at the time the seed is bedded, and 

 should gradually fall until it remains 

 stationary at 58 3 or 60° F. at the end of 

 six weeks, or before planting-out time. 

 A thermometer should be kept plunged 

 in the soil of the bed and the temper- 

 ature noted every day for the first ten 

 days or two weeks. If the manure 

 hotbed is not located in a well-drained 

 situation there is danger of soil water 

 getting in with the manure and either 

 destroying the heat altogether or start- 

 ing a second fermentation which will 

 cause the temperature to run too high 

 and injure the potatoes. The air tem- 

 perature beneath the sash or other 

 covering should run between 60° and 

 80° F., and during bright days it must 

 be controlled by ventilation. As the 

 time for planting in the field or garden 

 draws near, the plants should be given 

 more exposure to harden them to 

 outdoor conditions. 



.Moisture Requirements op the 

 Plant Red. 



The amount of water required by the 

 plant bed will depend somewhat upon 

 the method of heating employed. With 

 a steam-heated or furnace-heated bed 

 more watering will be necessary than if 

 the ordinary manure hotbed is used. 

 The watering given when the potatoes 

 are bedded will generally be sufficient 

 to last for several days, but after the 

 plants begin to form leaves and the 

 cover is left off during the greater part 

 of the day, watering will be necessary 

 every day. The water should never be 

 poured on in a solid stream, but by 

 means of a sprinkling can or a rose, or 

 nozzle, on the end of a hose. Where 

 very large plant beds are employed it 

 will be necessary to keep some one in 

 almost constant attendance to care for 

 the watering, heating, and ventilation. 

 The success of the crop depends largely 

 upon the character of the plants, and 

 proper management of the plant bed is 

 essential to the production of the right 

 kinds of plants. 



"Drawing" the Sets. 



" As a general rule sweet potato plants 

 are set in the field shortly after a rain. 

 In order to avoid delay in planting, the 

 hands should begin to get out the 

 sets as soon as the rain ceases falling: 

 and place them iu crates or baskets 

 ready for transportation to the field. 

 The sets are not all produced at once, 

 and only those that have formed good 

 roots are 'drawn,' the others being 

 left until later. In ' drawing' the sets 

 the seed potato is held down with the 



one hand while the plants are removed 

 with the thumb and finger of the other 

 hand. It often happens that five or six 

 plants will cling together at the base, 

 and these should be separated in order 

 to avoid loss of time in the field. Where 

 plants are to be set with a transplanting 

 machine it is essential that they should 

 be in the best possible shape in order 

 that they may be handled rapidly by 

 the boys who feed the plants into the 

 machine. The roots should all be kept 

 in one direction, and if the tops are 

 long or irregular they may be trimmed 

 oft" even by means of a knife." 



While " drawing " the sets it is a good 

 plan to have at hand a large pail or 

 a tub containing water to which there 

 has been added a quantity of clay and 

 cow manure which has been stirred until 

 it forms a thin slime. As the plants are 

 pulled from the bed they are taken in 

 small bunches and their roots dipped 

 into this mixture. This process, termed 

 "puddling," covers the roots with a 

 coating which not only prevents their 

 becoming dry in handling but ensures 

 a direct contact with the soil when 

 they are planted iu the field or garden. 

 After removing the sets that are ready, 

 the bed should be watered to settle the 

 soil where it has become disturbed and 

 then left for the younger plants to 

 develop. 



Packing Plants for Shipment. 

 In preparing sweet potato plants for 

 shipment or for sale, they are " drawn" 

 from the bed and tied in bunches of 100 

 each with soft string. Sweet potato 

 plants will not withstand excessive 

 moisture aud should always be packed 

 while the tops are dry. A little damp 

 moss or paper may be placed in the 

 crate or basket and the roots bedded 

 in it, but the tops should remain dry 

 and have free ventilation. If the roots 

 of sweet potato plants are carefully 

 puddled without the mixture comine 

 in contact with the tops, they will keep 

 in good condition for a week or ten days. 



Preparation op Land for Sweet 

 Potatoes. 



The character of soil devoted to sweet 

 potato culture is generally quite easy 

 to prepare. In preparing land for plant- 

 ing sweet potatoes the plowing and 

 fitting are practically the same as for 

 corn. It should be borne in mind, 

 however, that the work necessary for 

 thorough preparation will be well repaid 

 by the increased ease in handling the 

 crop later. It is always desirable that 

 a crop like sweet potatoes be grown 

 as a part of 'the regular farm rotation. 

 In the northern portion of the sweet- 



