The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-09-20
AGRICULTURAL.


KEEPING SWEET PorAroEs.-Frank e..
Ruffin, who is practical man, gives the
following directions: "The best plan we
have ever tried to keep sweet potatoes, for
family use, is to pack them in layers in good
boxes of dried sand-dried, if necessary, on
the kitchen floor. This will absorb the
moisture from the roots, and preserve them
sound until early summer vegetables can
be produced. A layer of dry sand md q
layer of potatoes on that, with sand strewed
among them; then another layer of sand
supporting layer of potatoes as before.
principle of keeping all roots dis to exclude
the pile from wet, and from rapid thawing
after freeze, to ventilate it partially, and
to disturb it as seldom as possible. A dry
bottom, plank fue, with holes bored in
its sides, and lightly stuffed with straw at
top, straw covering, and about eight or
ten inches of dirt loosely thrown up and
not patted smooth, would seem to fill these
conditions"
EARLY ROSE PorAroEs.-A writer in the
Country Gentleman is enthusiastic about
this new variety. He bought a peck for IS,
and thought himself fortunate to have Sc
cured it, as the price ran up shortly after
to $50, and even $50 buslel. His method
OF planting was as follows He split each
potato in half lengthwise; laid them, cut
side down, in sand in shallow boxes;
covered them with fine sand an inch deep;
~,
not soaked them. From the 18th to the
goth of April the potatoes were ready to
plant. When the eyes budded they were
lifted carefully out Of the sand, and each
eye was cut out, leaving enough potato to
support the shoot. These were removed to
other shallow boxes, laid on sand two or
three inches deep, and covered with sand
two inches deep. The ground was prepared
by trenching, taking care that the good
soil should come on top. The trenches
were two forks wide and two forks deep,
and the rows three feet apart. The sprouted
potatoes were set sixteen inches apart in
the rows. Upon planting, n slight dressing
OF wood ashes was applied, and another
dressing when they shot above ground, and
a third after the first hoeing. The whole
eaca row, hundred and eight feet long.
Owing to the smallness of the top and the
compact habit of this variety of potato, the
writer thinks they can be planted one foot
apart in the row. BY leaving only one eye
to each cutting, four bushels will plant an
acre. The writer's own experience leads
him to anticipate a crop of four hundred
and twentythree bushels to the acre.
Other planters estimate q hundred barrels
to the acre. He thinks that if planted in
warm ground, q good marketable potato
can be grown in sixty days. They are two
attention has been paid to this potato in
the North, and its rapid growth and early
maturity seem to recommend it as a sum
mer crop in the South. Planted in March,
as it very we'll could be in many parts Of
North Carolina, or even earlier further
South, it would yield a crop before the sum-
mer heats interfere with its growth. Early
potatoes hnve already become an important
article OF commerce between the Southern
seaboard and the Northern and Eastern
cities, and we hope to see this promising
variety tested by some of the enterprisipS
gardeners in the neighborhood or Norfolk.
Wilmington, Charleston and New Orleans.