American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-04-10

Culture.
The Irish potato though more gen.
eral in its use and cultivation, is far
from equaling in flavor and delicacy
this favorite production of the South.
Indeed, eaten with butter fresh
from the churn and pure sweet milk
rs an addenda, it constitutes de.
sert fit for the repast Of king.
Numerous varieties of this val liable
escnlent abound. Among these may
be enumerated the white yam, pump
kin Spanish, white Spanish, buck
potato with red skin and yellow
heart, birthstone, yellow in and out,
and red negro killer.
OF these the white yam and pump
kin Spanish keep the best, while the
negro killer and buck are the most
prolific, especially upon poor laud.
The leaf and vine Of The negro
killer are very large, and the " Slip"
from its toughness, easy of propaga-
ton. On the contrary, the early red
bears very small vine with scol-
loped leaf, and can be raised to per-
lection by the 4th Of July. It is very
dry and mealy in substance and il
said 10 be highly nutritious and in.
nocent food for children.
On the whole, for market and Ia
BILE purposes we prefer the yam,
which, when fully matured and pro.
perly baked, is almost covered with
the sugar or syrup which exudes
from the surface during the cooking
process.
In planting the sweet potato. il
may not bs generally known that the
eyes are chiefly clustered together at
the two ends of each tuber. The
practice of cutting these off, there
fore, before bedding or planting is
very detrimental. Experience proves
that but few of these eyes terminate
save those at the end. This can he
shown by planting the centres of the
potato in a patch to themselves.
We cannot pause now to debate
the rationale of this truism.
1t may DO laid down as an axiom
in sweet potato culture, that a soil
thoroughly pulverized and enriched
Is prerequisite to success. To this
we may add the necessity Of keeping
the plants entirely free from weeds
and grass, ut every stage of theil
growth.
Corn and cotton may languish ant
recover for want of work, but til,
sweet potato, never. The very pro
cess of removing the grass by til,
hoe or hand breaks off thousands o
root. bearing tibres, and ruins tn,
yield of the crop.
To ensure an abundant harvest, lei
the earth be well tramped by stool
or plentifully MANFRED broadcast
with stable scraping or cotton seet
during the winter; then thorough,
SUBSIDIZED and broken up.
II bedding is to be resorted to, til,
potatoes can be placed in oblonj
beds about four feet wide withou
cutting and nearly touching eacl
other, early In February.
After setting them thus, cover fou
inches deep with warm stable ma
nure, and finish of with moist earth
The beds should be protected ais
by n Southern exposure and th
means be kept at hand for covering
them when frost is expected.
II the seasJn be dry they shoul,
be occasionally watered to expedit
the early sprOuting Of the tubes.
When propagatcd from the pOtat,
cutting, planting should be dclaye,
until the latter part of March, to pre-
vent dry rot during the slow process
of termination. The method may b
thus briefly described:
Upon ridges four feet apart mad
with either hoe or pillow, trench deep
~, aud deposit the potato, cut in tw
pieces only, at intervals OF eight IL
ches. Then add n covering of wei
rOtted stable or lot manure, or kille
cotton seed, and cover deeply to en-
sure moisture.
The great enemy to q stand Is Dir
rot and the mischievous crow
though the latter pet is chiefly cor
fined to the seabOard. IL the hig
March winds displace the light sol
or dry the earth down to the emitting
the potato will perish and never com
to the surface. A good plan, Their,
fore, is TO cover very deep, and the
scrape off and break the crust abou
the time the plants make their al
pearance.
Experience would indicate, how,
yer, that the drawer pulled from ih
hot bed, is the most. certain an
least troublesome method of prop,
cation.
The cultivation in both instance
Is the same, though the sprouts. whe
dipped In the thick mush made .
water and well-rOtted manure, wbic
adheres to the roots, can be tran,
planted in almost any season. Yer
wet werther, followed by hot sun, /
more fatal to the plant than drought
when the above precaution has bee
taken.
About the middle of June anoth,
crop of potatoes can he raised fro
the same vine, by the use Of long (
short slips. In the former, aft
thorough preparation and the form
alton of ridges, the tops OF which al
reduced to q smooth level, let two
three vines be laid side by side,
az to touch the ground at all point
Then, Mt twelve or fifteen inchI
interval cover them with several b0
'u''S OF earth, and pack firmly. Th