VoL. I. AUGUSTA, Ga., MAY 24, 1843. No. 11. 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
CURING SWEET POTATOES. 
Mr. Editor — In looking over the last Culti- 
vator, I see something said about curing sweet 
potatoes, which should interest a Georgian as 
much as does the Irish potato a Northerner, for 
I have long been of the opinion, that one acre 
of land ivell planted and cultivated in potatoes, 
would yield more profit to a family than any 
other cultivation we could give it, and, although 
it is generally admitted, it is frequently neglect- 
ed, from the idea that they will not keep sound 
and good through the winter. This is all a no- 
tion, and, in too many instances, to be attributed 
to careles-sness and a dependence on servants, 
who too frequently are reckless of the interest 
of their masters. I was brought up on a plan- 
tation, and of co-arse partly raised on potatoes; 
for my father was alwa 3 ’s successful in raising 
and saving them, and his manner of planting 
and cultivating was something similar to Mr. 
McKinley’s, lor I do not recollect ol ever see- 
ing a potato hill on his plantation. I now have 
the same in possession, and have endeavored 
lo pursue the same course of making and cur- 
ing, and up to this moment have had no reason 
lo complain ol rotten potatoes at any season ol 
the year. 
My mode of putting them up is simply this: 
I dig so soon as I find the vines have been kill- 
ed or bitten by the frost, .(cotton or no cotton in 
the field.) I then select my seed from the eat- 
ing roots, being careful to have no cut or broken 
ones thrown with them. I then have them car- 
ried and put in a potato house, built expressly 
for the purpose. It is built of small logs, and 
left rather open except at the end where I pack 
up the potatoes. The house is long and nar- 
row, and should be built according to the quan- 
tity a person is in the habit of making. Before 
digging, I am particular in having the house 
perfectly dry, and a plenty of dry sand to cover 
the potatoes with. The ground is scraped off 
until it is hard and smooth. I then have the po- 
tatoes deposited, and as they continue to rise on 
the sides of the house, I jfiace, with a shovel, 
the dry sand a few inches thick between the wall 
and potatoes, which is twn sides and one end. — 
I then leave them in this situation until I find a 
change in the weather, which gives them a 
chance for airing and drying. If a few sharp 
frosts should come along, I throw a little light 
straw or grass over them, and remove it when 
the weather becomes more warm; but so soon 
as I find it getting cold enough for freezing, I 
then throw my dry sand over the naked potatoes 
until they are completely covered; and in this 
and no other way have I saved them until late 
in the spring. 
It ma)'- appear to some that this preparation 
will be rather troublesome; but they should re- 
collect, when it is once -effected it is but little 
trouble, for the saane house and sand will last a 
lifetime. 
Should any doubt my plan and -assertions, all 
I have to say is for them to try it, and should 
tliey have cause for talking ol rotten pcfcttoes, 
let them -eaU on me the 24th of May, of each 
and ei'^ery year, and the}" shall have a potato 
dinner. a planter. 
Green County, Ga., May 10, 1843. 
Eden, Effingham County, Ga., \ 
May IGth, 1B43. 3 
Mr. Editor — In your last number you invite 
communications upon the subject of preserving 
the sweet potato. As I have had some experi- 
ence in that way, I will give you what I have 
found to be the most successful plan. Large 
hills or banks never keep -so well as small ones; 
twenty bushels are sufficient. I open a hole or 
bed about .a foot deep, in high dry land, .(deeper 
would be better,) put the potatoes in in a conical 
form, and cover with pine strav." and corn stalks, 
or stalks alone, at first, and then with earth 
from eight to twelve inches deep. Covering 
lightly at first and increasing the quantity of 
earth as the cold increases, would probably be 
better; but I have always found more risk in 
covering too lightly than too heav-ily. The only 
advantage in putting straw or stalks, is to keep 
the earth from mixing with the potatoes, as I 
have no doubt they would keep equally well, or 
better, to put the earth on without either straw 
or stalks. I built a house some years ago of 
clay, the walls about a foot thick, and covered 
(under the roof) in the same maimer,‘but I found 
it would not preserve my potatoes. When I 
open a hill I now remove the contents to this 
house during winter, but in spring, say early in 
May, I remove my potatoes to a dry house -or 
loft, for if left in the hill, they sprout or become 
too moist and soft to be good. I seldom keep 
the Spanish so late, but I rarely fail to have 
the yam till new potatoes are dug. 
I have no doubt Mr. McKinley’s plan for 
planting is good in the up country, or where the 
land is stiff and dry, but in our level, sandy 
soil, I think the bed much belter. He thinks it 
best to air or dry the potatoes before they are put 
in the hill. This 1 consider decidedly injurious, 
and inconsistent with his next plan, of putting 
them under the ground, which, he says truly, is 
the natural way. I believe the sooner the pota- 
toes are put in the hill after they are dug the 
better. 
While upon the subject of the potato, allow 
D C to enquire, through your valuable paper, 
whether any experiments have ever been made 
to test the practieability of making sugar from 
sweet potatoes, as I have no doubt the yam po- 
tato is equal, if not superior, to the beet for that 
purpose. 
Very respectfully j’ours, 
C. POWERS. 
MODE OF STOPPING GULLIES IN LAND. 
Mr. Jones — It is a matter of no small mag- 
nitude to know -effectually the be.st plan to stop 
washes through our fields. In consequence of 
so many small valleys or washes on our hill 
sides, man}" of our jianters are prevented from 
manuring, from the fact that the manure will 
all M"ash away in a short time, and those val- 
leys are also a preventive of horizontal ditching, 
as the water wiU still be conveyed in them, con- 
sequently they cannot be ploughed across after 
running the side ditches. To remedy the evil I 
will here give my mode of effecting this desira- 
ble object. 
Before I commence running my ditches, I 
haul leaves from the woods and cover over the 
galded places to a depth not to be difficult to 
plough. I then commence with a dagern plow 
in the bottom of the gully, plowing up and down 
the whole length of the valley or gully, throw- 
ing the dirt in the valley from both sides, until 
I reach the level part ol ground; then if the first 
operation does not fill up, I repeat it until the 
valley becomes a plain. After this is done you 
can run }"our side ditches, and manure to your 
liking, and it will be as easy to cultivate as any 
other part of the fieH. 
But some will say that “my gullies are too 
deep,” (true enough) and how to prevent its pro- 
gress they are at a loss to know. To such un- 
fortunate farmers 1 would say, gather every 
combustible that can be procured, and fill up 
the deep gullies* to within one foot of the top, 
take your dagern plow and commence in the 
edges of the gully, and with hoes haul the dirt 
over this filling, and in the course of t%v 0 years 
you can make this a plain and cultivate o-i^er it. 
The filling may be any thing you can procure, 
such as rocks, logs, brush and other things, no 
matter what so the gully is filled. If rock is 
used it should always be put at the bottom. I 
have often been defeated in stopping gullies by 
throwing in logs, making dams across, which 
always made two for one. 
This work should be done in the winter, when 
