Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-02
Sweet Potato Culture.

Where one makes a speciality of this
crop it is important that the necessary ar
rangements for securing plants early and
abundantly be provided. Well managed
cold frames provide perfect arrange
ment for getting the plants as early as it
is safe TO set them out in open ground.
Where the cold frames are made tightly
and put in order about the middle of Jan
uary, and the glass kept on and no cold
rain allowed to fall in them, the tempera-
ture OF the soil and subsOil may in a very
short time be raised to the point suited to
the termination of the potato sprouts. If,
as sometimes it happens, the weather of
middle January is warm and calm, it will
be only a few days after the frames are
covered before the temperature is su1fi-
GENTLY raised to permit Of bedding. Then
some Of the soil may be taken out of the
frames and the potatoes laid on, almost
touching, afterwards covering them with
three to four inches OF soil, pressing the
soil firmly on the potatoes. Then water
the bed with water at least 81 degrees
warm. If convenient, the water may be
heated to advantage up to 80 or 100 degrees.
Give good watering, enough to soak in
below the potatoes. Then put on the glass
and let it stay on uninterruDtedly for
about week. AS the potatoes give indi-
cations of sprOuting admit air to the
frames on warm days, but covering them
any night, that are at all cool and chilly.
AS the sprouts pop through work around
them with a stick and water sufficiently
to press the soil about them. In five TO
six weeks from bedding the plants may
be drawn and set out II the weather is
suitable, and post the time of the average
killing frost of spring, which with us is
about the 10th April. In higher localities
it may be better to use hOtbeds. but below
"a degrees properly made cold frames will
answer every purpose. or course, the
common plan OF bedding in the open
ground does very well for ordinary pur-
poses and few farmers have any other
plan. 1t is not practicable to get plants
as early by such plan, but it is not ne
cessary that potatoes be planted out in
April to make good crops. Just as good
crops may be secured by MAY settings;
in fact, almost as good crops may be OBJ
tanned by June planting if the soil is good
and the crop well cultivated. The early
paintings, however, giYemarketable pOta-
toes sooner. In this latitude we do not
find it safe or desirable to bed in open
ground before the first week in March
and very few plants are put out before
May, and the bulk of the crop is put out
in early June. This late planting keeps
better than those that are forced.
Rows are laid off at 313 feet, opened
deeply with large round shovel and a
compound of 200 lbs. of acid phosphate,
200 lbs. of kainIt and 100 lbs. of cotton
seed meal, or 80 lbs. nitrate soda instead
of the meal, applied in the furrOw, then
this furrow is subsidized, mixing the fer
tiliZer we'll with the soil. The furrow is
then listed upon and thus left until the
plants are nearly ready. Then another
furrOw is thrown to this halt bed and the
plants sci out at IS inches apart in the
bed. If the manuring and listing has
been done in advance of planting time it
will be necessary to freshen up the beds
by fresh blowing. This depends TO some
extent on the character of the soil. The
beds must be clean-no Vestige of sprOut-
ing grass or weeds when the plants are
set out. | have always found it profitable
to grout the roots in a thin mush of clay
to which some little manure has been
added. These grOuted plants are put we'll
into holes made by dibble and the soil
pressed firmly to the plant with the foot.
Ii is very important to press the plants
firmly else the hot air will enter and pre-
vent them from taking root promptly.
Soon as they are Well rooted the harrow
should run round them to give them a
vigorous start off. and a little later the
uOCS SuOuiu lOllOW anu Insure Ln6 uGabn
OF all weeds, Just as the vines begin to
grow good the middles should be well
broken with shOvels-a double shovel does
the work well and eXpeditiOusly with
twice going to the middle. If the vines
have grown much they should be turned
previous to blowing and every other mid
die plowed out, then the vines should DO
drawn back into the plowed middles and
the Others plOwed out. After this one
good careful hoeing is all that should be
required, for the vines will soon take the
ground and choke out the young grass and
weeds.
geqd above Ia s cos fSS 1 a6o5t
IS per acre, should increase the crop at
least 80 or 100 bushels, putting the natural
capacity of the soil at 100 bushels. Two
hundred bushels per acre is not very
large crop for good land and a farmer
ought not to be content with much less
than that. S. A.C.
.Htdo0dy, near MilledqeviIte, Ga.