The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-11-26
Sweet Potatoes.

Hhe sweet potato is par excellence
the root crop of the Southern States,
besause it IS suited to climatic and soil
conditions as found in these States. 1t
is also one of the most profitable ard
satisfactory crops that the Southern
farmer can make either for market or
home use, and I only state what is
well-known fact. that there Is not an
other crop so universally grown as
this crop. because it can be found on
the least piece Of cleared land. where
the foundation of the future farm IS
being laid, to the large fields Of the
old plantation where they count their
acres by the thousands. At this time
every year great many inquiries
come TO hand from parties newly
moved into the Southern States, par
ticularly the Gulf States. as to the
best method Of getting satisfactory
and profitable yield from this crop. for
1t appears to be well recognized fact
that to the newcomer this is one OF
the crops that he caa hardly fail in
making something from it. To such
Inquiries I would say first OF all see
that your land is well broken and put
in good tilth. If the land is old plow
as decD IS your soil will allow you, and
a httle deeper. If the new land is
being used. don't plow deeper than
your top soil is, but pulverize thor
oughly what you do not plow so as to
make a thoroughly mellow bed for the
young potatoes to grow in. On our
tough wire grass sod Of the long leaf
pnae lands it is not advisable to cut
large furrow slice. and very small
pSov of the one-horse type is recon-
mended to make a beginning with, be-
cause a large slice will take long
time in decaying and getting incorpo-
rated with the other soil. What l
specially recommend and have been
practising personally for number Of
years on this kind Of land Is very
aarrow scooter. say about two inches
wide, cutting and cross-cutting the
land at the very first and going about
SIX inches deep. This method Of
breaking new land mixes it all up
thoroughly and goes deep enough to
do q little subsoiling at the same time.
This followed with the turning plow
q few inches deep and again with har-
row and cultivator makes an excel
lent Job on our stubborn wire grass
sod After the plowing. either old
land or new should be treated with
good application Of high grade fertil-
izG. The claim Is often made that
new land does not require fertilizing
for first crop. Perhaps not, in q
certain sense. but the farmer who takes
the fertility from his soil that nature
pat there for a crop. therefore q crop
wSthout adding some more to 1t to
make that crop, Is SCHROEDER, and
the results will come back to him in
after years. For 1t Is a we'll recog-
nkgd fact that among al our best
agxiculturists that every crop grown
on the farm must be provided with the
necessary plant food for that crop in
the form Of the proper fertilizers for
same. The fertilizer for sweet pota-
toes should contain q liberal amount
Of phosphoric acid and potash. The
nitrogen is not so imperative. as in
most of our soils enough nitrogen Is
already present. An excess Of nitro
gen will promote the growth Of the
vine at the expense Of the root pro-
duotion. and it is root we are after.