Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-06-19
FARM MANAGEMENT.
Easy Methods Of Procuring Sweet Potato
Plants and Caring for Them In the Field.
Protecting Trees from lnseets-General In.
dustrial Miscellany.
Syyeet-POtatO Culture.

to the civil war but few were raised
north of the Ohio river. New Jersey
and Ohio were tho first northern states
to engage extensively in sweet-potato
culture. They are now raised to some
The yield is the largest, the quality
the best, and the cultivation the easiest
in the southern states. The sweet
potato is OF tropical origin. but it is
easily acclimated to all parts OF the
world where Indian corn will rlpen.
The crop will not prove to be very
profitable one to raise for the general
market in parts of the country where
dent corn can not be ripened. The
plants require much sunshine ana
quite high degree of heat to produce
large tapers that will matule before
the earlier frOsts, that are certain to
kill the vines and injure' the potatoes.
1t is useless to set out the plants be-
tore the soil becomes warm. They
will make hardly any growth, ard the
ground where they are planted will
become covered with weeds. If
planted about the middle of June in
tins latitude their growti, will be rapid,
and little labor will be required in
their cultivation.
Sweet potatoes are not likely TO be
injured by any insect except cut
worms. They are never molrsted By
5he Colorado beetle. They endure
drought much better than most kinds
Of root crops. They are profitable for
every farmer TO raise in portions of
the country where the average crop of
common potatoes is less than a hum
ured bushels per acre. The sweet
potato in the northern states is raised
from sprouts. which are taken from
the parent potato and transplanted to
low ridges that are ordinarily about
four feet apart, the plants being about
a foot from ZACH other. ANY soil that
is suitable for corn will, under suitable
management, produce good sweet po-
tatoes. There ls 10 necessity for
blowing the land very deep. 1t is
better not to have it pulveri2ei decper
than is required for Il crop OF small
grain The potatoes grow like par
snips and carrots in respect to post on
IN the ground, and extend IN length
till they reach hard ground. Ii the
soil is pulverized very deeply the
tubers w!ll be likely to be long aud
small in diameter. ii the pulvcrizcd
soil is shallow the tubers will be short
and large III size, and of the best pro-
portions for cooking.
The ohta ming of the plant is the
most troublesome thing in connection
witt. raising sweet potatoes. In some
places they can be obtained in sui
ficicnt quantities for raising potatoes
for q tnmily from market gardeners
They generally raise them under glass.
Few farmers have not beds covered
with glass, and therefore find it diff
cult to raise sweet potato plautS An
OHIO correspondent OF 1he NcAr 1,orh
1rlbuue gives u method of making hot
bed suitable for sprouting sweet po-
tatoes which is not attended by much
expense. 1t is larger than Will be re-
lulrel by any farmer who only in
tends to raise sweet potatoes for the
use of his family. A peek of seed
will produce all the plants that he will
require, and a frame that will extend
four feet in each direction will enclose
sufficient space to hold the potatoes to
be sproutcd. The sides of q dry goods
box will make a suitable frame. The
following arc his directions for MAX
ing, iilliny, and managing the bed:
prefer top OF the ground to an eE-
cAv@tion. Place first nearly Il foot in
depth Of wet straw, from around the
stack preferred, tramped down solid;
il this is done less manure will be re-
uuired. Build out the manure, which
should be thoroughly hot, three feet
wider each way than you wish the bed
to lie; upon eight inches OF the hot
manure, wei packed down on the
straw, set a frame IF boards one inch
thick and foot wide. A good sac
and shape is sixteen foot long and
eight vide; this will hold a barrel or
more of potatoes and be convenient
to water and pull the plants from.
The frame need uot slope like that of
one on which glass IS used; it may De
set HAT, but there should be a movable
;bar at one sls: raised foot or so to
give slope enough to the boards with
which the bed is to be covered to car
nv Oft the water, the lower end Of the
boards resting on the frame. After
the frame is placed, bank up with
strawy manure on the outside to the
top OF the boards, and shake Il few
inches of best manure inside till,
when trampeu down, il is within eight
inches of the top. In packing a hot
bed always step on small pieces of
board, and move them one front of the
other as you walk along; this will pack
the manure evenly, while If tramped
with the tcet some places will be more
compact than others and the heat will
be Irregular. There should be four
inches of good earth between the po-
tatoes and the manure; find good
garden soil as good as any, but pre-
fer a lighter soil,leaf mold or sand
to cover with. The soil with which
the potatoes are to be covered should
be put in when the bed is made, SO as
to warm up with the bed, but the po-
tatoes should not be put in till the
earth is all warm so as to feel COM
Portable to the hand. AS soon as the
bed is completed cover it a foot deep
with straw, and, as it may need to be
uncovered several times, it viii save
time and litter tohave the straw bound
in small bunules. Place the roof OF
boards above the straw and wait for it
to heat. If the sun shines out bright
and warm the warming of the bed
will be FASTENED by uncovering for six
or eight hours in the middle of the
day. When the bed is warm remove
three inches of soil from a strip at one
end and put in yheel-barrow to be
taken to the other end to cover the
last strip. Small potatoes are gener-
ally used for sprouting, as they will
furnish more sprouts to the bushel,
but I favor good-sized potatoes, and
not crowded in the bed when one is
growing plants for his own use. The