Yoii. LIX. No. 2620. NEW YORK, APRIL 14, 1900. «i pee year. 
THE VINELAND SWEET POTATO. 
HOW IT IS PRODUCED. 
What Gives H Quality. 
BIG SHIPMENTS.—Nearly three carloads a day of 
sweet potatoes are shipped from Vineland to New 
York and other points. The shipments begin usually 
in the latter part of August, and continue without 
interruption every week-day until late Spring. A 
large part of these sweets are sold as “Vineland 
fancy” at a price often 25 to 50 cents per barrel above 
the highest quotation. They are grown on soil pecu¬ 
liarly adapted to them—a sandy loam sometimes in¬ 
termixed with pebbles and clay, but too much clay 
is objectionable, causing the potatoes to grow rough 
and of irregular shape. The illustration was taken 
from a hill grown on a sandy loam just suited to their 
perfect development. Probably no one has ever been 
able to grow a whole crop as perfect as the hill 
shown, but in our best soil we do frequently get many 
hills of such smooth, shapely tubers. 
JERSEY POTATOES—Soil, method 
of culture and season have much to do 
with shape, color and quality of the 
sweet potato. It is a well-known fact 
that where they have been grown in 
favorable soil for many years, their 
habit of growth becomes to some ex¬ 
tent fixed in the seed, and they will 
retain that habit for a year or more 
when planted on quite different soil. 
A large sweet-potato grower in Iowa 
writes me: “We buy Jersey Yellow 
seed, which at first grows short and 
chunky, but after a year or two they 
grow longer, and then we call them 
Yellow Nansemonds.” Thus they 
change name as well as shape. 
VARIETIES.—The sweet potatoes 
most largely grown here are widely 
known as Jersey Yellow, but there are 
several “strains” locally known by the 
name of the person who has grown 
them most largely. The peculiarities 
of these different strains lie princi¬ 
pally in their shape, color, and keep¬ 
ing qualities. The Vineland growers, 
several years ago, took great pains to 
procure the Dest strains that could be 
found, and by careful selection and 
growing on the most suitable soil, they 
have established the strain now known 
as the “Vineland Fancy,” and these 
are justly celeorated in the markets, 
where, when put up with care, they bi ing fancy 
prices. A new variety known as the Vineland Bush 
was introduced here last Spring. It seems to be 
a true bugh form of the Jersey Yellow. We grew 
some of them last season and found them to be pio- 
ductive, of good yellow color and desirable shape. 
It forms a thick bushy top of rich, dark green leaves, 
and not a sign of a runner. The leaves are Qf the 
same shape at the Jersey Yellow, but rather larger. 
They are as easy to cultivate and hoe as bush beans, 
and there are no vines in the way at digging time. 
We are so ravorably impressed with this new sweet 
potato that we shall plant quite largely of it the com¬ 
ing season. The quality is very much like the Jersey 
Yellow. We have grown the Vineless Gold Coin and 
other so-called vineless sweets, out they are all more 
or less of the yam family. The Vineland Bush is a 
true sweet potato. 
CULTURE.—To give a detailed account of the cul¬ 
ture and management of the sweet potato would take 
more space than is desirable at present. The seed 
the small or medium potatoes—are first bedded in a 
hotbed one-half to one inch apart, and covered three 
inches deep. In about four weeks the sprouts should 
be well up and rooted, when they are pulled and set 
where the soil has been previously prepared. The 
ground is first plowed lightly, as deep plowing tends 
to produce long potatoes. Some growers plant in 
hills, others on ridges. Usually light furrows are run 
about three feet apart, in which the fertilizer, which 
should be rich in potash, is sown at the rate of one- 
half ton per acre. Ridges (or hills) are made direct¬ 
ly over this, either with a ridger or small plow. The 
plants are set on the ridge 18 inches or more 
apart. There are several forms of hand planters in 
use, as well as the two-horse machine, but many far¬ 
mers still set with the hand or trowel. Plants should 
never be set until the weather is warm, about melon¬ 
planting time. If the soil is dry a little water is put 
in as the plant is set, which insures a good start. 
Some planters always water. Frequent cultivation 
and clean hoeing are essential to success. Nearly all 
growers now use cultivators with vine turners on 
which keep the vines upon the ridge through the 
season. 
There are several forms of sweet-potato diggers. 
The “scoop” drawn by two horses, is one of the best. 
It runs a wide blade underneath, loosening the soil so 
that the hills are easily raised by hand. After drying 
several hours they are picked off the stems, sorted 
into three sizes—firsts, seconds and pig feed, and 
put in baskets from which they are either emptied 
into barrels for immediate shipment, or into bins in 
the store room, where they are kept at a temperature 
of 75 to 90 degrees until through sweating. The 
temperature is then lowered to 50 or 60 degrees, the 
object being to keep them dry and free from frost. 
f. s. N. 
Bran Weevil.—I have read with interest the articles 
on Bean weevil, and can confirm Mr. Morse’s experience. 
For the past 12 years I have planted beans late to escape 
the Bean weevil, and with the late beans I have no 
trouble when stored away; my experience is that unless 
some of the beans are affected, the weevil will not bother 
them. A few years ago some early-planted cow peas 
were put away in a barrel for seed; at planting time the 
next season they were completely destroyed by weevil. 
DuBois, Ill. A - A - H ‘ 
HEELING IN FRUIT TREES OVER WINTER. 
THE NURSERYMAN’S SIDE OF IT. 
Buy in Fall and Keep Over. 
F. W. B., Ithaca, Michigan, makes some valuable 
remarks on this subject in The R. N.-Y., March 17. I 
have seen peaches planted in the Fall and carried 
through successfully on a large scale; and, in fact, I 
believe 'it is not hurtful to them at any time, if the 
grower wishes to follow the low-topping methods; 
for they may be cut off at, or near the snow line in 
the Spring, and they will grow nicely, being the bet¬ 
ter for their early start. F. W. B. says: “If the nur¬ 
seryman does not get trees to you early enough for 
successful planting, get them of a nurseryman who 
does,” and he tells us to do our part by ordering in 
time. Every nurseryman of any reputation at all 
is busy from the time the season opens until it is 
too late to plant, and letters ordering trees “Now or 
never” are not of infrequent occurrence. Suppose we 
take the advice given, and all order early. What 
then? The trees would come late as 
ever. The remedy is not here, and it 
is useless to condemn an operation be¬ 
cause we or some others have not suc¬ 
ceeded With it. I know of no better 
method, considering all things, than to 
get trees in the Fall and heel them in 
over Winter. The early Spring 
awakens the trees even before the 
nursery is sufficiently dry to take 
f them up, and this awakening con¬ 
tinues until they are in full leaf. Not 
any of the Spring weather, as a rule, 
is congenial to the welfare of the tree 
after it has beep removed from the 
nursery row, yet it is held from one to 
10 (and sometimes 30) days before it 
is permanently located in the orchard. 
If trees are in the trench at home they 
are undisturbed until the day planted, 
and they are benefited by everything 
that the Spring days can give, while 
the process of planting under these 
circumstances i3 scarcely an interrup¬ 
tion. 
Get trees in the Fall, as soon as the 
leaves drop readily; plant all except 
the stone fruits, trench peach and all 
trees you wish to prune to a low top 
at planting, covering them to the 
height you wish to prune. Place 
cherry and trees you do not care to 
prune so hard 'in beds, covering them 
top and all about 10 inches deep. In Michigan and 
other cold climates all may be oedded, but peach can 
be trenched without loss. If wishing to plant early 
the bedded trees may remain until planted; but if 
you wish to plant later the tops would better be 
raised to the air and light and the ground loosened 
about the trunks by raising the tops should be firmly 
trodden. If any intrenched trees show signs of 
starting before ready to plant, they may be retarded 
by taking tnem out and retrenching them after they 
have laid an hour or so. The trench for a lot of 
trees should not be placed on top of the ground, as 
some do it, but it should be plowed or dug to a 
depth of 18 inches or more, and the trees laid in with 
tops at an angle of 40 degrees; all bunches should 
be opened and the roots carefully spread apart so that 
the soil can get between them and exclude the air. 
In this region last year 98 per cent of the intrenched 
trees grew, and especially Where they were covered 
with snow, while in a great many cases 40 per cent 
of the nursery-row trees died, and thousands that did 
grow will aie this year because the vitality was frozen 
SPECIMEN HILL OF THE VINELAND BUSH SWEET POTATO. Fig. 80. 
