Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-12
ON BANKING SWEET POTATOES.


Replying, we promised this article, and
gave it as our opinion that sweet potatoes
might be kept through winter by the
banking method as well in Texas as in the
region named, particularly on our sandy
lands.
In those pine regions of Mississippi, Ala
bama, Georgia and Florida the sweet po-
tato raiser allows his crop to remain in the
ground to as late date as he can safely
risk it against having them frozen by a
blizzard He cares nothing for a light
frost, indeed not few prefer having the
vines blackened by frost previous to dig
ging the crop. The notion is that frost on
the vines checks all growth and tends to a
rapid maturity of the tubers, this render
ing them less sappy and better qualified to
keep than they would be if taken up while
the vines were still in active growth.
Eve have heard it argued that in case of
frost hidden vines the effects of the frost
would descend 10 the tubers and impair
their quality more or less, but this is
mistake. Sap never runs downward in a
plant. We have always been a very sue
operating on the gulf coast we invariably
made it our rule to leave the tubers in the
ground about one week after the vines had
been killed by frost, provided, of course,
that there was no apparent prospect of
coming severe weather before the end of
that time. And now for directions should
you desire to harvest and bank your
ne +1,a ,,1p ,,nI lNr,+ l,a
successful sweet potato raiser in the sea
coast country east of the Mississippi river:
Begin by dragging off the vines" This
work is usually accomplished by running a
light plow between the rows-some use a
turn plow, others a shovel plow or scooter.
The vines gather around the plow and soon
convert it into mere drag, pulling the
vines from the rows as it passes along.
Having the vines removed, run turn
pillow well down in the middle between the
rows. Many fair-sized potatoes are often
found in the middles, so have your pickers
follow the plow, taking up the potatoes and
depositing them along in heaps where they
will be out of the way of subsequent opera
tons. Run your plow on each side of this
furrow, throwing the dirt into it the same
as If ridging up for new crop, the pickers
still following along the burrows. When
the row proper is reached, bar it off along
the side, then change to the next middle.
Proceed as in the first instance, and when
the row is reached on the other side and
barred off, split it out with two or three
burrows Tor as many as needed to bring up
all the potatoes), and so keep on until the
patch is gone over, and the potatoes are ~
ing i'll heaps on the plowed ground.
Great care should be exercised in hand
ling the potatoes not to bruise them. They
should not be pitched far to the heaps,
striking upon the potatoes already there,
for this would be sure to bruise them
slightly, at least. The heaps should be
near each ether and the potatoes simply
dropped upon the pile or around it. One Of
the greatest troubles in keeping sweet po-
tatoes is found in what is called 'dry rot"
This dry rot is invariably the result of
bruise in handling. If the potatoes are
handled without any bruise whatever there
viii be no dry rot,
If the potatoes can be left in the heap a
few hours to dry out before collecting them
for the banks it viii be all the better for
them.
Select 4 dry and well-drained situation
for your banks. Scrapc off the surface soil
where your bank is to be made, down to the
depth of three or four inches, raking it into
a ridge around like you were forming
miniature circus ring. This bed for the
bank should be about eight feet in dame
ter, and when completed will be cupping to
the middle somewhat like u saucer. Bring
good dry straw, or grass of some kind, and
fill the depression Level full to the out-edge
of the ring, piling straw enough upon the
ring to have the straw-deposit still main
tanning the saucer shape. In the middle of
the bed drive a small stake down into the
soil sufficient TO stand firmly and long
enough to have its top about four feet
above the straw.
Now begin to pile your potatoes around
this stake, carefully, so as not to bruise
them. Run the pile up in as sharp q cone
Us you can make them maintain. Keep ad-
ding round and round until they have
1St-SlASo " AlLC VuISi ShSGo VI lIlO SiICutdF
bed and are up to the top of the stake You
can put about twenty bushels in such pile,
which is enough for one bank Next put
about two inches Of straw over the pile
and follow with dozen or so of narrow
strips Of board or other suitable sticks, let
ting one end rest against the surrounding
ring Of earth and straw and the other end
on the top of the stake coming up from the
center, or upon the strips or sticks first
laid down, above the top end of the stake.
Place over these strips six inches depth of
straw, covering the entire heap from bot
tom to top.
Let the pile so stand about twenty-four
hours, if there is no danger of freeze, then
begin around the base of the heap and place
on dirt, going round and round with a
spade. until the heap is covered deep enough
10 protect the potatoes from any freeze that
might happen TO come. Leave 4 space of
five or six inches at the immediate top of
the cone without dirt covering, stufing it
full of straw as the dirt rises above it. Pat
the dirt firmly on all sides of the cone with
the back of your spade, and your potato
bank is finished
In digging up the dirt around your potato
pile you made depression deeper than