Graham guardian., 1895-04-27
THE FARM.

The sweet potato is cultivated as
far north as New Jersey, and as a
garden crop in latitudes considera
bly, higher. A monogram on its
culture and uses has just been issu-
ed in Farmers Bulletin No. 26, by
the Department Of Agriculture,
giving much interesting informa-
tion concerning this member of the
morning glory family, which is not
only curious, but very practical
and useful as well. The sweet pota-
to may be grown either from seed,
from sets or from vine cuttings.
Seed rarely natures in this country
except in hot houses, and propaga-
tion by vine cutting, while a more
prolific method than any other,
can be adopted only in the Gulf
states, owing to climatic reasons.
The northern and western sweet
potatoes are grown from sets, pro-
duced by placing the seed tubers,
which are usually cut in two length
wise, in specially prepared seed
beds, with bottom heat. Bottom
heat is readily produced by the
use of horse manure, very much as
hot beds are made, and the grow
ing ofthe sets is conducted in very
similar way, except that the seed
bed is not always under glass; "a COW
ering of litter, straw or pine need
les often being given. The pota-
toes when laid N the seed bed are
covered to a depth of from one to
three inches, with sand, fine soil,
or earth from the woods, and when
the sets grow to length Of from
three to five inches above the
ground, they are ready for trans
planting. The bedding should be
done five or six weeks before it is
expected to transplant the sets.
The best time for transplantlng
in Arizona is from May Goth to
the middle of June for the main
crop, although for very early po-
tatoes from the 1st to the 25th of
May some transplanting is done.
The length of time to make the
crop is usually placed at ninety days
The best soil is a warm, sandy,
well drained and somewhat dry
soil, and light loans are also suita-
BILE. Planting is usually done inl
rows three and a half feet apart
with eighteen inches between thef
plants. When grown in checks
the distance is usually thirty by
thirty inches. The early-dug po-
taIoes for immediate marketing are
fit for consumption at any time;
they do not need to mature. But
for keeping the following rule is
given: Break several potatoes
and expose the broken ends to the
air for some time. If sufficiently
to keep well, the original
color is maintained; if unripe, the
broken surface assumes a dark or
greenish appearance. Sweet pota
toes are best kept by maintaining
a temperature of seventy-fve de-
grees for a week or two after dig
ging, and then lowering the temp
erature, keeping it through the
winter at from fifty to sixty de-
grees, the atmosphere of the stor-
age room to be kept dry.
Besides the ordinary uses Of the
sweet potato as a vegetable, there
is now a considerable quantity of
the tubers used by canning factor
les, and they are also largely used
for stock feed. Those of our read
ers who are interested in the cul-
ture of sweet potatoes, whether as
a farm or garden crop, will do
well to write to the Department at
Washington, and secure a copy Of
Farmers Bulletin No. 26.
We are under obligations to
Hon. Henry e. Dosch, ,>of Hillsdale
Oregon, for copy of the third
biennial report of the State Board
Of A Agriculture, in which we find
much to persuade us of the advanc-
ed position Oregon is likely to take
in this department. Among the
papers which form its appendix is
on "Dynamiting the soil" The
use of dynamite is declared to have
passed the experimental stage, and
is now employed extensively in
many parts of the country. What
is known as the 30 per cent, grade
is empoyed unless the land be
rocky, in which case from one and
a half to two sticks are used as a
charge. To prepare the ground, a
crowbar or two-inch auger with n
seven-foot shaft is used, and q hole
is made in the ground six feet deep.
Into this put the stick of dynamite
with fuse attached, and dry sand
is poured into the hole until it is
full. If sand can not be obtained,
other soil may be used if tamped
sufficiently hard. The concussion
Of the explosion loosens the ground
some distance below the bottom Of
the hole, and for many feet on both
sides Of it. There is little or no