1912. 
361 
GROWING SWEET POTATOES. 
How the Jersey Crop Is Grown and Handled. 
Part I. 
PROPAGATING PLANTS.—Where small quantities 
are grown for home use, or where the grower has not 
the time tc» attend to plant beds, the most satisfactory- 
plan is to buy the required plants. Where only a few 
thousand plants are propagated they may be grown 
in ordinary manure beds such as are used to grow 
early vegetable plants. Plant beds heated by fire, or 
hot water, are best for growing larger quantities. 
The latter method is now used exclusively at War- 
heim Farm, with good results, as the temperature can 
be accurately regulated by a turn of the valve. Avoid 
making plant beds for the propagation of sweet pota¬ 
toes near buildings, hedges, or woods; 
they should have a free circulation of 
air, and when the sun is scorching hot 
the cloth covers may be partially let 
down. Where beds are heated by ma¬ 
nure, or hot water, five or six inches 
of loose earth (light sandy soil is best), 
are placed upon the manure, or water 
pipes. Fire beds should be covered to a 
greater depth at the furnace end, gradu¬ 
ally decreasing to the far end of the 
bed, the exact depth depending upon the 
general arrangement, so the soil can be 
kept at about 80 degrees. 
Fig. 126 shows-arrangement in hotbed. 
Upon this soil the tubers are laid, about 
one inch apart, or more (the farther 
apart the stronger the plants will be) ; 
if laid too close sprouts will be more 
spindling. The tubers are then covered 
with soil to the depth of about two 
inches, which should be free from stones, 
clods, or trash. Clean sand is best for 
this purpose. A few inches of salt hay 
or straw covered over the soil, will keep 
it moist, and the temperature more even; 
this must be removed as soon as sprouts 
begin to appear. Glass is not necessary, 
and most growers prefer cloth covers, 
which are removed on sunny days. For 
the first few days temperature is kept at 
about 65 to 75 degrees. When fine, 
white rootlets appear upon the tubers the 
temperature is raised to about 80 or 90 
degrees, until plants are about two inches 
high, when heat is gradually diminished. 
About five to seven days before pulling 
plants should be without any heat and 
covered only when frost is feared. This 
method makes plants hardy; they will 
stand transplanting better, and begin to 
grow almost immediately after planting. 
After first plants are pulled heat is again 
applied and a second crop of sprouts 
produced. Keep beds well watered, as 
soon as plants are up, about every other 
day, unless rain falls, and give plenty oj 
water several hours before sprouts are 
to be pulled. 
PREPARING THE SOIL.—In select¬ 
ing soil choose light, well drained soil, 
rather poor preferred to rich soil. For 
a northern climate a warm southern ex¬ 
posure and sandy soil are best suited. 
On very light soil plowing is not neces¬ 
sary, but shallow plowing, or disking, 
will improve most soils, and retain mois¬ 
ture better. Shallow furrows are opened 
into which fertilizer is applied at the 
rate of about 1,000 pounds per acre, 
more or less, according to requirement 
of soil. In applying fertilizer keep in 
mind the fact that this plant seems to 
have the power of acquiring from the 
soil nitrogen that is inaccessible to most 
other plants. Thus where this element is 
present in large proportions, a tendency 
to undue vine growth is encouraged, 
and also to change the marketable quality 
of the tubers, causing a long, rooty growth rather than 
a compact nodular form. Sod land, which is generally 
rich in humus, and badly infested with cutworms, 
should be avoided. The writer has in mind a pasture 
field that was planted to corn in 1910 and to sweet 
potatoes in 1911. The first planting was almost en¬ 
tirely destroyed by cutworms, as also part of the re¬ 
planted sprouts. After planting a third time, cutworms 
seemed to let up a little, and with the advance of 
warm weather this field soon made a luxuriant growth 
of vines seemingly surpassing all adjoining fields. 
Upon digging, however, they proved to be poor in 
shape, rooty and many too large. Similar results were 
obtained by previous experiments with cow peas and 
THE NEW-YORKER 
Crimson clover sod. Should it be desired to have a 
cover crop at all, rye seems best suited for this 
purpose. 
A fertilizer of about one to two per cent nitrogen, 
seven to nine per cent phosphoric acid, and 10 to 12 
potash, gives best results with us. In order to have 
the nitrogen immediately available we mix most of 
our own fertilizer; half of the nitrogen, at least, 
should be nitrate of soda, the other half may be 
blood, tankage of fish scrap. This is an important 
point, since sweet potatoes must start quickly and 
make their vine growth early in the season. Stable 
manure can be used with good results where the soil 
is lacking in humus and organic matter. Broadcast 
before plowing gives better results than manuring in 
the drill, as the tubers will be less rooty, and of 
better color. Unlike most other plants, sweet pota¬ 
toes do well year after year on the same field, only 
to prevent disease, and keep clear of insect enemies, 
it may become necessary to rotate crops; it is always 
advisable to do this before such are present. Ridges 
are made about three feet apart, and set about 20 
inches apart. This requires about 8,500 plants per 
acre - GEO. H. LIEPE. 
New Jersey. 
Tub total population of British India is given by the 
“Gardeners’ Chronicle” as 315,000,000. and of this number 
60.000.000 men and 27,000,000 women are engaged in 
agricultural and gardening pursuits. 
PARCELS POST AND THE RETAILER. 
Misleading Arguments Against a National Need. 
No doubt we shall have parcels post sometime. 
There is no good reason why we should not have been 
enjoying the benefits of the system for the last 25 
years. But the time is coming, and even though 
some of us may have passed beyond, we may at 
least feel assured that our children will enjoy this 
privilege. I think few realize the benefit and enlarge¬ 
ment of business, and to the people in general, that 
would come from its establishment. It is really 
very humiliating to think that we are so far behind 
other governments that we are accustomed to think 
inferior to ours. 
It is natural that the express companies should 
oppose this move; we could expect noth¬ 
ing else from them. But I think now 
that the greatest influence against the 
establishment of the system comes from 
the small retailer. For one thing they 
are more numerous than the express 
companies. But what good reason do 
they have for butting in and working 
against our interests? They profess to 
believe that the enlarged mail facilities 
would be against their interests. In this 
I believe they are utterly at fault. The 
great mail order houses would not be 
greatly benefited, for they do most of 
their business through freight shipments, 
and probably penny postage would bene¬ 
fit them more than parcels post. It is a 
fact that I have often wanted a small 
article and would have sent for it alone 
if I could have had it transported cheap¬ 
ly, but to get it have made up a freight 
order and got goods that I would have 
got here otherwise. The small retailer 
has as a part of his stock in trade a set 
of rather stale arguments, one of them 
being that parcels post wo.ttld injure the 
small towns. Let us see if he is really 
so concerned about this matter as he 
would have it appear. A few years ago 
a shoe factory could have been located in 
our town had it received just a little 
encouragement. But the leading mer¬ 
chant said no, if it comes more stores 
will come and we will not have the 
monopoly we have at present. So the 
retailers worked against it as they have 
also worked against the building of a 
trolley road, they being afraid people 
would go to other places to trade. Either 
of these projects would have been of 
much benefit to the fanners. But the fact 
is the retailers seem to think they are 
the whole thing and care nothing for the 
farmer except for his trade. They arc 
organized while the farmer is not, and 
it is humiliating to see how some of the 
latter class lack the courage and spirit to 
stand up for their own interests. If they 
were organized and had the backbone, 
this question of parcels post would be 
settled in short order. If it would really 
injure any live retailer there would be 
some sense in their opposition. The 
time may come when this class will place 
some value on the good will of the 
farmer. b. 
Illinois. 
HOW I CURE ALFALFA HAY. 
Much has been said about curing Al¬ 
falfa; as yet I have not seen my method 
explained. I commence cutting when 
but few blossoms are open, and in the 
morning, soon as the dew is off. If the 
day is warm (a good hay day) I begin 
raking the next morning, using an old- 
fashioned revolving wooden rake, going 
around the field in the same direction 
as when mowing. This gathers the stalks evenly on 
the rake, and when revolved, places the leaves and 
small branches, which are partially cured, underneath 
the windrow and all the large stems on top, where 
the sun can get at them direct. In one or two days, 
or as soon as the stems are properly cured, I haul to 
the barn. No bedding, bunching or caps needed, and 
no loss of leaves. Being underneath the windrow, 
they remain damp enough to handle without falling 
off. Should there come a rain while in the windrow 
it will do no damage. The leaves and small branches 
being underneath do not bleach. I have 4]4 acres in 
Alfalfa. The first year I used a spring-tooth wheel 
rake and canvas covers. When I came'to haul, which 
was soon as properly cured, I found the new growth 
under the bunches had all turned yellow, and did not 
recover for several days. N. A. haddex. 
THE DUST SPRAYER IN A POTATO FIELD. Fig. 124. 
HOTBED FOR STARTING SWEET POTATO PLANTS. Fig. 125 . 
SWEET POTATOES ARRANGED IN HOTBED. Fig. 126 . 
