Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-08


as they will not bear rough handling as
white potatoes, and little bruise viii be
sufficient to cause them TO rot; they
should be allowed to lie until perfectly
dry, then if for immediate marketing,
baskets are the most suitable; If for WIN
ter sales, barrels or boxes to hold the same
quantity should be used, for if packed
away in larger quantities they will not
keep as well.
ANOTHER PLAN OF FIELD CULTURE.
/ will give another plan of management
as follows: On my lightest sandy SOIL |
plow the ground shallow about the last
week in April or the first of May, then
put on a good coat of equal parts of mari
and leacbed ashes the ashes get at the
soap factories and the mari have upon
my farm, which is spreadover the ground
evenly, and / let it remain until the time
Just before / want TO plant, which is
about the 10th or 18th of May, when /
prepare the ground by passing a harrow
over it, then take a plow and strike the
burrows three feet AMI half apart in
rows; horse, sheep and barnyard manure,
with one-fourth its bulk mari, made into
a compost and well rotted, is put in the
rows and spread along evenly, after which
two burrows are thrown upon ii, and the
plants are set Is or 20 inches apart in the
row, being careful only to prepare as much
ground as will be needed for the first
setting, as the plants after being taken
from the beds, delight in fresh soil, and
the damp earth, which of course it must
be, or the plants viii w;ther and die the
same as other plants set in dry earth.
After the plants have become well rooted,
l run through with cultivator and level
the ground, after which they will begin
to thrive finely, and the hot beds be
again ready to be thinned out. Then
the pillow and hoe are brought into requisi-
ton, and the field or patch kept thorough
ly cleaned, carefully turning vines during
blowing, and replacing. have culti-
waited sweet potatoes largely after this
plan and with good success, it is not quite
so satisfactory to perform on soil mode
rately rich, where weeds are hard to
keep down. l therefore practice both
plans. In this the potatoes being in
straight burrows, q distance of 81
feet apart, makes the space between the
rows wide enough to pillow out the pota-
toes. First, cutting the vines close to the
hill, with two horses, pillow deep and throw
out on top of the ground, then carefully
shaking from the vines, they should be al
lowed to lie until perfectly dry, before
putting away for winter use. 1t is very
desirable to have the sweet potato
crop mature as early in the fall as posi-
bic, as they are better and more sure to
keep well, and of special importance to
dig and harvest them before any frost
wits the vines to preserve for winter keep
ing.
KEEPING SWEET POTATOES.
Some growers have declared that sweet
potatoes keep just as well without putting
them in dry leaves, shaYings, chaff, ETC..
butmy experience will differ from theirs.
have found to put them in dry leaves, or
rotten wood, finely pulverized-the latter
believe is the best and most difficult to
obtain; yet any of these materials mixed
in with the potatoes in barrels or boxes
with care, the saving profit from shrinkage
in the spring will be at least fifteen per
cent, paying well forthe trouble of mixing
some of the materials | have mentioned
with the potatoes.
Last summer l collected rotten wood,
had it pounded or ground fine, which l
kept in perfectly dry state to pack my
sweet potatoes in. l put a portion of
them in it, and l believe ii to be the best
thing yet to preserve from shrinkage.
My sweet potato house is built OF brick,
% by 80 feet, and will accommodate
about 5000 bushels of potatoes, A cellar
is under it i; a stove is placed in it. and the
fire is kept hot enough to keep tempera-
ture; where the pipe comes up through
the house into flue, going out through
the roof. A fire is made in the stove as
soon as days. digging of potatoes have
been packed away, TO drive away the
dampness caused by their sweating, and is
moderately kept up until cold weather sets
in, then the fire is regularly made at 3
A. NJ, and kept up with greater or less
activity until 10 o'clock P. NJ, when the
fireman retires 10 rest; if it is very cold,
he made an extra fire on retiring TO bed
The temperature of the room is kept be-
tween IS degrees and 60 degrees, and not
allowed to go below so degrees.
My sweet potato crop the past season
of 1869 fell short, owing to drought in
this section in August. Formerly have
harvested 1900 barrels; this last season or
year 800, part have on hand as yet.