The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-04

to tell him how to plant and cultivate
sweet potatoes. Plants should bo set on,
as soon as all danger Of frost is over. Not
nut that sweet potatoes often make good
crops when planted even as late as Jul,-
hut some should be set out early. To rst
vines TO set. and 10 have new potatoes as
early as possible. In order TO get plants
carly, the potatoes should be bedded with
out delay, and If necessary. put d cover a
lew inches above the bed. This keeps the
bed warm. makes the plants come up
quicker and protects from frost. If the
plants are large enough 10 set out before
all danger of frost is over cut OF with a
tnin, sharp knife just at or little below
the ground. When they come again they
VIII be strong, well rooted and much better
imam the first that came. Sandy loan lands
are the best for sweet potatoes and stiff.
Whlte clay the poorest. but with thorough
preparation and good cultivation even
clay lands will make fair crop of sweet
potatoes. Sod land. if nothing but old
helds grown UP in sedge grass and scrub
pines. if turned over with two-hcrse
pillow in the fall will make fine sweet pota-
toes. If the land has not been turned over
IN the fall, pillow and pillow deep as early
in the spring as possible The after plow-
ing should be shallow, and in light, sandy
land deep blowing is not necessary, and If
there is no clay subsoil it may be in
furious.
After the land is plowed it should be fire.
quently narrowed, to pulverize the soil as
thoroughly as possible and to kill grass
after 1t starts in the spring The follow
ing Is a good fertilizer and sufficient for
one acre: 1000 pounds of manure from the
COW pen, 500 pounds cotton seed and 400
pounds acid phosphate.
If you want TO plant in hills lay the
land off two or two and one-half feet
each way with long shovel plow In the
X drop two shOvelsfull of the above fer
tiiizer, cover with two burrows each way
with a turn plow; then finish the hill
with the hoe, leaving two feet rows in
the middles. Some prefer to let the hills
stand until a rain settles them, but if
your plants are well grown clip off about
three inches of the hills and press them
down with the hoe. IL is more work to
plant in hills, but gives a greater yield.
At two feet apart there will be 10, $50 hills
in an acre and. and at two and half
feet 6969. Bunch yams. as their name in
dicates, grow in a bunch, and are q very
desirable variety to plant in hills, and
will make from ten to thirty tubers per
hill, and if each hill, at two and one-half
feet apart, makes ten pounds. there will
be a little over l.244 bushels per acre.
While that yield may never have been
reached. / am certain that il can be.
After the vines have got good start
there will be a good coat of grass on
the hills, which scrape off with hoe,
then plough out middles both ways. hill
up with hoe. and the crop WILL unless
there is excess of rain, need no more
work. If you wish to plant in ridges lay
off rows three and one-half feet apart,
throw up beds with turn pillow, run bull
tongue two or three times in water fur
row. put in fertilizer. throw two burrows
on it, and finish bedding along as you
have slips or vines to set out. 1t is best
to bed out enough potatoes to make slips
enough to set out and cover at one time.
Those who do that always make good
crop, while those who only have plants
enough to set a few rows at a time DO
not get through until the weather is so
hot and dry that it is hard to get plants
to live.
While. as a rule. I do not favor raising
two crops a year on the same land, but
as peas and sweet potatoes tend to i'm
prove rather than to injure the land, oat
land, on which thirty bushels of cotton
seed were plowed under with the oats,
if set in sweet potatoes in January will
make a fine crop. Vines are better than
slips for late planting. and probably at
any time. Those who keep vines over
for planting instead of raising slips are
no doubt acting wisely. There is no over
production of sweet potatoes. They are
splendid for hogs or cattle and one. of the
latest pair Of mules l ever saw were fed
on sweet potatoes and fodder Below
give an analysis by Prof Ross of two va
rieties of sweet potatoes. The feed is:
The Spanish Bunch The Bunch Yam
Sweet-NO. |. No. >.