13 
and transplanted one by one into the ground. Now, the sweef potato is 
exceedingly sensitive to cold. The slightest frost will destroy the vine (as the 
stem is called). Consequently if in order to get shoots the tubers are simply 
put into the ground, they will remain dormant until the frost is over. Then 
the shoots will grow slowly, and only become long enough to be transplanted 
after six or eight weeks. This brings the planter right into the middle of 
summer—a bad time to transplant anything. Unless there occur abundant 
showers, seldom to be had at that time of the year, the transplanted shoots will 
haye great difficulty in setting roots. ‘They will either die out or remain weak 
and sickly, and, in fact, never get strong enough to give good healthy tubers. | 
But with a supply of strong, vigorous shoots, from 8 to 12 inches long, ready 
to be transplanted in the open field as soon as the frosts are over, then — 
these will set roots at once. Being well rooted and provided with a bushy, 
luxuriant vine, when the November storm-rains come, they will then start 
swelling, bursting the ground in every direction. And when the time is come to 
dig them out the crop does not consist of small potatces, but at every plant are 
found potatoes the size of footballs. 
hotbed. 
Over 4,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians kuew how to make manure 
hotbeds, not only for raising early plants, but also for hatching chickens 
artificially, as we of the present day do in our incubators. And those hotbeds 
are not difficult to build. 
The only way to get your shoots in time is to put your tubers in a 
Select a small piece of well-drained land, if possible sheltered in some | 
way against southern and westerly winds. Dig there a ditch or trench 
from east to west, 3 or 4 feet wide, 1 foot deep, and as long as is 
required, taking into consideration that a square yard of it will give you 
at least 2,000 shoots for transplanting. Now take l-inch boards or sawn 
slabs and build over the ditch a sort of box 1 foot high on the northern side | 
(in Australix) and at least 18 inches on the southern side, joining them at 
both ends with slanting boards as shown in the accompanying diagram. 
Shovel back the excavated earth towards the box. Over the box fit a kind of 
frame of the same dimensions; fix it with hinges to the top of the 18-inch 
board, so that it ean be opened and shut easily. As glass frames are expensive 
it will suffice to simply nail ordinary tent calico on to the frame. 
Next obtain a quantity of stable manure, mix it well with nearly the 
same quantity of chaffed straw; this is necessary to avoid an excessive heat and 
to maintain a warm temperature much longer. Now shovel it into the ditch 
y 
