Ft, ir ag ag SI 
and box in the bed in 6-inch layers as evenly as possible, trampling it well 
down at the same time. Give a good watering with the watering-can. Add 
new layers in the same way until the whole is from 18 to 20 inches thick, and 
water again. -Over this put a couple of inches of ight soil and on it spread 
evenly the middle-sized or even small tubers, leaving only from } to 1 inch 
space between them (there will be from 100 to 150 tubers to the square yard). 
Coyer them with 2 or 3 inches of light sandy loam and shut the lid. 
The preliminary work is now done. All that remains is to await the 
results. They are simply marvellous. In His wisdom and kindness, the Great 
Author of Nature has, invisible to the eye, myriads of little helpers which, being 
now placed in condition favourable for their development, come into life, 
- multiplying with anincredible rapidity. Those tiny organisms areas useful on 
a farm as herds of domestic animals. ‘They set to work at once, transforming 
entirely the substance in which they are born. The transformation (or 
fermentation as it is called) is, like all chemical processes, accompanied by the 
disengagement of various gases and the production of a considerable quantity 
of heat. This heat will at once waken up the germinative power dormant in 
the tubers and keep them growing. In the middle of the day, when the. 
_ temperature is warm, lift, at first slightly and then entirely, the cover (lid) to 
let the plants get accustomed to the ordinary outdoor air; but great care must 
be taken to keep the hotbed covered at night, otherwise the shoots will surely 
get frozen and the whole work will be wasted. 
Now about transplanting. 
The best soil to grow sweet potatoes in is a rich, well-drained, friable, 
~~ alluvial soil, and next best a rich, friable, well-drained scrub loam. If the soil 
is not naturally like the above it must be made so by the use of ploughs, 
_ scarifiers, manures, and fertilisers. Nothing less than a 12-inch depth of the 
above soils in a perfectly pulverised state will satisfy the gross appetite and 
greedy propensities of the sweet potato. The land must not be laid in ridges, 
“as is done—for good reasons—on the coast, but must lie as flat as possible. 
When the last frost is over—in the greater part of the West this is. 
usually about the middle of September—and when the shoots are no less than 
from 8 to 12 inches long, then is the time to transplant them. If the shoots 
are pulled out or broken close to the tubers no more will grow, but if they are 
cut with a curved knife about 2 inches underground, the part left in the soil 
will continue to grow and give a new shoot in a very short time. By adopting 
this plan as many as four shoots may be obtained in succession from a single 
eye, and thus transplanting may go on from the middle of September till the 
middle of December. It pays—and the work is quickly done—to strip off 
_ from the shoots the side leaves and branches, leaving only a few leaves on the 
top end. Then make a dibble—not a blunt, clumsy one, but a light one, as 
sharp as a spear. An old buggy-wheel spoke cut to 14 inches long makes a 
fine easily penetrating dibble, especially if it is well sharpened, the end being 
slightly burnt on the fire and well greased. Select if possible a cloudy day. 
If there are none, it is better to do the planting towards the evening. If there 
is moisture in the ground no watering is required. But if the ground is dry 
it is absolutely necessary to give from one pint to one quart of water to every 
_ plant. The distance between the rows ought to be 8 feet, and in the row 18 
inches for the White Maltese and kinds similar to it, But for the Rosella 
with long rampant vine and scattered tubers it ought to be 4 feet between the 
rows and 2 feet in the row. No planting is good enough which is not done 
along a well-strained line. Plant the shoots, or cuttings as they are called, one 
by one along the line, taking care to plant the dibble in a slanting way in 
the direction of the line. Lift it a bit, then with the left hand set under it 
the greater part of your shoot, leaving no more of it than 2 or 3 inches above 
ground. Pull back the dibble, plant it a second time 1 or 2 inches further, 
and with it press firmly the ground ail along the cutting, beginning from bottom ~ 
up. It isa little bit tedious work. Still, when one has got the knack one can. 
plant in that way frome one-third to half-an-acre per day. 
_” 
