Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-04-22

How the Tubers, Which are Not POtatoWs
at all, Are Grown,


How the Tubers, Which are Not Potatoes
at all, Are Grown.
Sweet potatoes are not potatoes, and
yet they gave the name to the true POI
tato. They are species of convolvu-
lus, closely related to the well-known
plant of that name, and more closely to
the common garden plant, ipomea. ITS
botanical name is Convolvulus batatas
or Batatas edulis, and from this has
been derived the common name of a
very different plant, Solanum tuber-
osum, our common potato. 1t is a
twining plant, and when grown as an
ornamental climber makes very pref
ty ornament for the window garden.
1t is an exceedingly valuable plant for
its nutritive tuberous root, and was the
popular substitute for the South Amer
lean potato in the northern part of the
continent when it was discovered by
Columbus. 1t formed the principal
subsistence of the Revolutionary Army
in the Southern States, and formed the
MONDAY meal of General Marion in
South Carolina when he was visited bY
the British officers after his victory at
COwpens. 1t contains not only a large
portion of starch, but also much sugar,
and when dried and reduced to -four
makes an equally nutritious and agree
able food as when cooked in It's natural
form. 1t will grow wherever corn will,
and usually yields as much as an aver
age crop of the comuea potatoes and
twice as much in the South, which is
too warm for the latter crop. It
thriveS best in warm, light, sandy
loan, but will grow even upon a clay
soil If it is thoroughly well pulVerized
by good culture.
The mode of culture is as follows:
Early in the spring, as soon as the
heavy frosts are over, a hot-bed is pre-
pared in the usual way and the tubers
are planted whole in it. The sprouts
soon appear, and when they are about
six inches long they are slipped off
with the roots attached to them, and
are then set out in beds about eighteen
to twenty inches apart. The eyes or
buds sprout again, and so large num-
Der of slips are taken from each tuber
The beds are usually left uncovered
during the day, and are protected by
sashes Cor by a covering of straw or
swamp hay during the nights. The
plants are set out about the time of
corn planting, when the ground is
warm. The beds are made as follows:
Two wide and deep open burrows are
made in the form of trench, three
feet apart; the manure, which should
be well rotted, is spread in this open
furrow and covered by double turn of
the plow; the soil is then smoothed
with a rake or pliable harrow, and the
slips or plants are set out in the beds as
before mentioned The after cultiva-
ton cons SITS in keeping the soil mellow
and free from weeds and moving the
vines as soon as they begin to run to
prevent them from roofing at the Joints
and wasting their strength upon un-
necessary growth. This is done with
the hoe or a rake at the last working of
the ground.
The crop is gathered by opening
the beds with a plow and turning out
the tubers. In small patches this is
done with the hoe. The tubers are
well dred and are then carefully
packed away for preservation; and
just here begins the trouble, of which
more or less appertains to every work
and labor Of mankind. This is the
difficulty of keeping the tubers sound.
They are very tender and easily injured
by exposure to cold, which causes de-
cay. For their perfect preservation
they require a temperature of at
least sixty degrees. In the Southern
States, where large quantities are
grown for shipment to Northern mark
cts, potato houses are made for storing
them. These are made with tight
floors and lathed sides protected by
close shutters. BINS made of laths are
ranged on each side and raised a few
inches from The floor, to permit of
free circulation of air. In fine, dry,
warm weather the shutters are opened
and the air perm tied to pass through
the potatoes. When the weather is
wet or cold stove provided for the
purpose IS heated and the house
warmed to right temperature. In
this way the tubers are kept in good
order until the spring. In small way
the tubers may be preserved safely in
boxes or barrels packed in dry sand
or wood ashes and kept in warm
closet, or in a dry room which may be
kept warm, or in a dry cellar which
may be warmed by stove.-N Y