The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-10
A Plea for tho Po'atr.

To tile Editor of the Me,os and Cou-
7ier: An old-time farmer who was ad
vised to substitute other crops for
corn in feeding hogs replied "Ah |!
Mr.. E., corn is mighty good diet for
hogs"
We admit that corn must be the
main food crop on the farm, especially
for work stock during the long days Of
spring and summer, but corn is an ex-
pensive crop when made on uplands,
and it is good economy to replace it as
far as possible with products more
prolific, and which are especially
adapted to our soil and climate. /
would, therefore, add my testimony to
what has been said by my old comrade,
W. G.. Hinson, and others about the
sweet potato.
For several years past [ have raised
large crops Of potatoes and fed them
to all kinds of stock. During four
months of the winter, when work
hours are few, at least one-third Of
the corn fed to mules and horses can
be saved by feeding potatoes. 1t is a
healthy ration, as it takes the place Of
green food. There is no danger of
choking, as the horse gnaws the pota-
toe just as he does the corn from the
cob, and it is bett"r to feed them
whole. The cow has a peculiar dental
arrangement which makes it necessary
to chop them for her. She has no
front teeth on the upper jaw and takes
the whole potato in her mouth, throws
her head up and chews With her jaw
teeth. Of course there is no danger
of swallowing piece too large for
comfort.
Potatoes boiled with cotton seed
meal and some corn will fatten hogs
faster than corn alone. Sheep are
very fond of them and they are far
more nutritious than turnips, which
are planted largely in England for this
purpose. I will add, from hearsay,
that for children and others the potato
is at its best when baked in brick
oven. Next to corn meal the negroes
prefer the sweet potato, and many
bushels of corn may be saved by this
crop in feeding and paying hands.
It is surprising that crop so useful
and so easily made is confined to small
patches on the farm. The sandy
ridges are the best potato lands and
rainy days, too wet to work other
crops, is the time to set them. This
Of course should be considered in
counting the cost. Plant the seed po-
tato early and manure well so as to
have an early crop Of vines, then .util.
ize every rainy day until the 10Th Of
July.
There are as many varieties of the
sweet potato as there are shades Of
sentiment in State politics. A new
kind lately introduced from Alabama
is said to be growing in favor: 1t is
called the bunch yam, from the ten
dency of the vines to get together on
the row, making it easier to keep down
the weeds and grass.
The potato is the best of all crops
GO preCeue GOUdCCo, 1ol mHSn I" Doiioo
of hogs have finished with patch the
soil is apt to be well pulverized and
free of insects. My experience in
keeping them is that when banked in
a sunny, well-drained spot, with plenty
of straw and enough dirt to turn the
water well, they are not apt to rot.
To sum up, we have in the sweet
potato crop which finds its favorite
home in our Carolina sand. 1t is
greedily eaten by everything on the
farm, from the chicken to the horse /;
it's cultivation demands but little
valuable time from other crops; it
may be stored in any quantity without
the use of nail or plank, and 1t
leaves the land in the best condition
for our most valuable cash crop.
Though having all these advantages
not one farmer in fifty plants more
than an acre patch.
j. S. JEFFERs.
Florence, s. c., March 4, 1895.