The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-05-10
From the Sell Of tho South.
Planting the Sweet Potato,

From the Sell Of tho South.
Planting the Sweet Potato.
Mr.. Editor: consider myself q
warm advocate of Improvement in
Agriculture; and as the season for
planting the Sweet Potato has re-.
turned, and having two weeks past,
planted about sixty bushels of seed
to draw from, will give you my plan
of planting, II the land is stiff, I
have it deeply plowed, with very mar
row scooters. then have a wide fur.
row deep with turn plow, run three
feet and half apart, pouring in the
seed not cut, as l drill garden peas;
generally two and three, side and
side, covering with a turn pillow from
each side of the drill, to prevent tho
seed being pulled up in drawing
out the plant; as the seed are
not cut, they vegetatc quicker. l
generally plant drawers about the
middle Of April; and planting as 1na-
ny bushels of seed as stated, at two
drawings I can plant my princi.
pal crop of from six to ten acres.
When you wish large sized yams,
you must plant your drawers early.
Vines are good for small potatoes,
and for seed. Cowpen land, or
trod as some term it, though very
productive, tho Potato will not keep
asIwell as when cultivated in the
natural soil, nor will the Spanish or
other kinds that yield well from the
seed; such use first. The Span.
ish yield we'll from the drawer here. l
have Haytien yam, that pro-
duce abundantly from the drawer,
and they grow large, and keep bet.
Ter than the o!d yam; they are easy
to live; the vine is superior to any
other class for hogs and cattle.
For early use, say in July, I
plant the Spanish, and class of
the Fed ont and yellow within, in
n'lis; shey produce better in hills, and
IRE not subject to be destroyed by
..s'.e .!a mole, ;'' If planted in ridges or
neds. | have now several hun
dred bushels of potatoes on hand. |
consider them an important crop. In
a loose soil, they come to maturity
earlier if it Is not too poor, than in
a stiff soil-land that will not Weld
more than ten bushels of corn per
acre, will produce two hundred
bushels OF rotatoes-the quantity
depends much upon the soil and
seasons. A congenial soil gives, when
the seasons suit, five to six hundred
bushels per acre. I plant drawers in
ridges, each drawer about eight inch.
&es apart, and, if in beds that are
vide, | have double row put in.
4 put them up in hills of from fif:
ty to eighty bushels. The following
is my plan. I have thick batch, as
term it, Of pine straw, on the top Of
the ground, then dry pole, shar-
pened at one end, driven down in
the centre Of the straw, and
around it, the potatoes are put in a
pyramldal shape, then I have
dry corn stalks placed around, then
pine bark, aud lastly earth, and the
tbickest earth on the North side, then
| have the pole drawn out of the
centre, to admit the air to the
bottom, and finally good clapboard
covers. over all my hills: cap of
pine bark covers the hole on the
top, where the pole is pulled out. We
are cultivating and have been Tor
eight or nine years, wheat, and sue.
cessfully. / have planted already
about eighty acres of corn, the first is
coming up, planted the 18th of Feb.
ruary-shall plant long staple cot.
ton next week, and the week follow.
ing the Banana.
Respectfully, yours,
DAVID L. WHITE, w. D.
Quincy, Fla, March 2, 1853.