The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-04-12
Sweet Potatoes.


'field and Factory for March. gives
us tho following on the subject of the
sweet potatoe: ,' "a egg. .,1 q. ~, 7.
We hope our farmers will plant an
abundance of this great esculent. It
is hardly necessary to give any direc;
lions as to raising plants and setting
them out. As food for people, hogs,
COWS and even horses and mules, the
sweet potatoe is the cheapest and best.
The only difficulty is preserving them
during the winter. Our experience the
past winter leads us to recommend the
plan suggested in a number of the
Field and Factory of last year, which
is briefly as follows: Dig the potatoes
before being injured by frost; handle
carefully, and put Immediately into
banks of about thirty bushels-none
but well ripened and whole potatoes.
The foundation for the bank should
be enough elevated to keep dry; then
place them in a conical-shaped heap;
cover with straw, corn-stalks, or other
litter; ON this throw eight or ten
inches of earth-enough to cover the
heap entirely; exclude the cold and
leave no vent. Our potatoes, the past
winter, by this plan, kept perfectly,
and are now sound and good. TIE cut
and bruised potatoes should be kept
to themselves, and eaten or fed away
first" rHr- .G.- 81
ASHES FOR SWEET POTATOES.
"a correspondent in the Southern
CuItivator' says: Il notice the question
is asked, which is the best fertilizer or
manure for sweet potatoes. From the
experience 1 have had, in manuring the
sweet potato, I must say that rOtted
ashes, when properly put on, has pre-
cedence over all others l have had any
experience with. The plan that L
adopted was to open deep furrow,
with scooter pillow, and put in plenty
of ashes. Bed out on the ashes, and q
sure crop may be realized on the poor
est soil. Cow-penning is good-so are
cotton seed and stable manure; but
after experimenting with the ashes,
they will all be abandoned; provided,
ashes can be had I experimental on
as poor soil as had, and the result
was as fine a crop of potatoes as I ever
saw on any kind of land. Rotted ashes
is good for cotton also, and almost any
kind of vegetation. L am convinced
there is not better fertilizer made on
any plantation than rotted ashes. So
every one will find it greatly to his in
terest to take special care OF it"
We suppose it will be understood
that the ashes meant in this case is that
resulting from the burning of hard
wood. Pine ashes are of little value,
as it contains but very small per cent.
of potash, which is the fertilizing prin-
ciples in the product. 1t is no use to
apply with the expectation of obtain
ing an immediate effect worth naming
the ashes must be well rotted to do
much good. Ashes applied fresh to
the ground this season would not tell
much upon the yield till next year.
A very fine fertilizer for potatoes, or
any other root crop, may be made on
'Capnophyte' plan-burning leaves,
pine straw, and farm litter generally,
under cover, in the style of coal pit.
and stirring the covering and product
well together when the burning is
through. Applied in the hill this Kind
of manure will do some good for. the
first year, but it will tell far better in
the second season. If burned in the
fall and left in the heap through the
winter it acts admirably.
To all this we add the following from
tho SRurol South.T and
"Our favorite plan of planting is to
bed out the potatoes as early in March
as possible, and, having the ground
deeply and thoroughly pulverized and
drawn up into ridges, plant out the
draws, commencing as early in April as
the plants can be had. The ridges
should be three and half feet to four
feet apart, and the plants should be
put in two to two and half feet apart.
If this bedding ont has been neglected
up to this time, it is now too late, and
the potato must be planted instead of
plants, or draws, as they are called.
He has reference to the latitude Of
New Orleans; further north it is not
yet too late to bed OUT in fact the
backwardness of the season makes it
not too late to bed out here. Ed.
The potatoes should be cut in sections
about an inch in length and planted,
two in place, 80 inches apart in ridges
previously prepared. the planting
should be done early in April, as early
planted potatoes generally keep bet
ter because they are more certainly
mature before digging time The
culture is very simple. As soon as the
young plants begin to make their APP
pearance, bar off the ridges with turn
ing pillow end scrape down with hoes.
When the vines have attained length
of one or two feet, throw back the dirt
with tnrning pillow, running deep, and
pull up the ridge with hoes; but care
should be taken not to cover up the
vines. This finishes up the work of
culture" .f.tttt