The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-03-12
ArILEA FOR THE POTATO.

The Best Stock Food that Grows
Flourishes Best on Sandy Soil, and
is Grccuily Eaten by Every Crea turt,
on the Farm from the Chick EN- o
tho Horse.
To the Editor of Too News and
Courier: An od-time farmer who
was advised to substitute other crops
for corn in feeding hogs replied "Ah
Mr.. b., corn is mighty good diet for
hogs"
We admit that corn must be the
main food crop on the farm o. rcially
spring and summer, but co, ex-
pensve crop when mado on ',..ttlnds,
and it is good economy to replace it as
far as possible with products more
prolific, and which arc especially
adapted to our soil and climate.
would, therefore, add my testimony to
what has been said by my old comrade,
w. q. Hinson, ana 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 arc
few, at least one-third OF the com fed to
mules and horses can be saved by feed
IL
as 1t takes tho place OF green food
There is no danger OF choking, as the
horse gnaws the potatOc just as he
does tho corn from the cob, and it is
botter to feed them whole. The COW
has 81 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 hor mouth, throws her head up and
chews with her jaw teeth. or course
there is no danger OF swallowing 81
piece too large for comfort.
Potatoes boiled with cotton seed
meal and some corn will fat.en hogs
faster than corn aione. Sheep are
very fond OF thom and they are far
more nutritious than turnips, which
are planted largely in England for
this purpose. will add, from hearsay
that for children and others the potato
is at its best when baked in q brick
oven. Next to corn meal the negroes
prefer the sweet potato and many
bushels OF corn may bo saved by this
crop in feeding and paying hands
1t is surprising that "a crop so useful
and so easily made is confined to small
patches on the farm. Tho sandy
ridges arc the best potato lands and
rainy days, too wet to work other
crops, IL UIlc blIlS W bCI UnC1n. lnlS
OF course should be considered in
counting tho cost. Plant the seed po-
tato early and manure we'll SO as to
have an early crop OF vines, then
utilize 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
tendency of the vines to get together
on the row, making it castor to keep
! down the weeds and grass
The potato is tho bost of all crops to
precede tobacco, for when bunch of
hogs have finished with patch the
soil is apt to bo we'll pulverized and
free Of insects. My experience In
keeping them Ia that when banked in
q sunny, wcll-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 it's fayorite
home In our Carolina sand, 1t il
greedily eaton by everything on the
farm, from the chicken to tho horse
its cultivation demands but little
valuable time from other crops; il
may be stored in any quantity without
the use of nail or plank, and /
leaves the land In the best condition
for our most valuable cash crop
Though having all the advantages no
one farmer in fifty plants more thar
an acre patch. j. s. JEFFERs.
Florence, s. c., March 4, 1895.