Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-05-14

Sueet-POtatO Culture.

In Is NOW about twenty years since a Mr.
Davenport planted sweet potatoes Mt Long
Neck, Staten Island. This was the earliest
attempt 10 raise this esculent in the vicini.
" of New York, or in the Northern States
or course, neighbors were inoredulous
and Mr.. Davenport himself seems to have
met with such moderate success as led soon
TO discontinuance Of the attempt. But
Mr.. Hancock went on with the expert.
ments, and at last he established the fact
that the sweet potato could be grown
with advantage In the colder climate and
of quality rivalling the crops Of Virginia
or the CarOlinas. lie sold plants quite ex.
tensively, and the increasing demand in
duced others, both on the Island and in
Monmouth and other counties In New j er.
soy, 10 embark In the came enterprise
Now thousands of bushels are raised each
season for the Metropolitan market, and
the business Is extending its proportions
The method of culture is simple. The
crop is raised from slips pulled from the
potato, the potato having been first placed
in hot bed one month before, The man.
ner Of growing them iu a hot.bed is as
follows;
Make the hot bed the same as you would
TO raise tomatoes or egg plants, with the
exception that one inch of dirt is sufll.
cient covering for the manure Over this
place the sweet potatoes (small ones are
preierable) 80 they cover just one half the
space; or, In other words, one barrel
should be placed in bed six feet wide by
seventeen and one half feet long five
sashcs, six by three and one half feet)
then cover the potatoes one inch deep. In
about two weeks The sprouts will begin to
show through the ground, then cover
nf unil hr oh.
themselves again, when the covering may
be repeated the same as before, making
three inches of soil, which will be sufl-
clent. AS to watering, great care should
be used, and the ground should not be-
come thoroughly wet, as in most cases il
would rot the potatoes. Neither should it
become 80 dry that they will not sprout.
Here practice only can tell the true
amount of water TO be used. The tenn
perature is of the utmost importance, as
many of the old growers will tell you,
and the heat should never be allowed to
get higher than 90o. Ono hour of hot sun
will entirely rot and ruin them. In one
instance, / remember, by the carelessness
OF help, | had eight barrels cooked to a
peeling condition, aud had to replace
them by other potatoes, at cost of eight
dollars per barrel. The soil is an essen.
tial part for the hot-bed, and should be of
a sandy nature Heavier soil bakes and
retards the sprouting After the sprouts
are sufficiently large, remove the sashes,
and they will be sufficiently hardened in
three days to bear transplanting in the
field. After the removal, the sash may be
replaced and second crop of plants pro-
duCed.
After the potato sprouts, plenty of
water should be given to make rapid
growth. For the last few years some of
the larger growers are giving up hot
beds in the cultivation of such plants, and
are raising them in houses heated by hot
water. This practice is preferable, be-
cause more certain and much less expen-
sive than buying manure, and also on &C.
count of the facilities for controlling the
heat, which cannot be obtained i'll a hot
bed.
The ground in which the plants are to
be set should be plowed very shallow (not
more than four inches) as soon as the soil
| is in suitable Condltion-thc earlier the
better. Then leave it till time of planting
(Which is from 18th oc May to 18th of
June), then strike the furrows with corn
| plow, making furrows three and half
feet apart; after which place the manure
in the burrows, spreading it along to even
as that used for corn on Irish potatoes (;
q compost of horse-manure with barnyard
and hog manure find best. Then take
two,horse plow and cover the furrow from
each side, throwing the soil directly over
the manure rs high as practicable. Then
smooth the ridge with n hoe, and set the
plants sixteen inches apart, either way,
just before or just after shower, or on an
overcast day. The attention required is
the same as that of common potatoes, ex-
ccpt when the vines begin to run they
must be kept from roofing in the rows, as
this takes away the substance from the
hill.
The above is adapted only to loamy
| soil those who have a sandy soil must
not give the same treatment. | have
found that it pays well to put sand in the
hills where the ground is a little heavy
Hearth and Home.