The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-05

SlA'h heaven, for the sayory smell of
sweet potatoes toasted in the ashes
reaches you, and You have no envy
OF the children Of Israel who prob9-
bly, never in their lives tasted the
running out OF the sweet pota-
10 after having enjoyed the
nong. Talk about bliss, there is no.
thing equal to it in the reaIms Of
something to eat.
And here in this country is the
Ideal home Of the scuppernong and
the sweet potato. [ had a school
mate One who was addicted to poet
ry, and his most ambitious poem had
in it a line,
II often wonder why Nature
All her gifts on some bestowed"
It is wonderful why you find th4
s~cuplerIong and the sweet potato il
the same section and maturing at tho
same time. That is as generous Civ
ms as Nature could bestoW. In the
past these two gifts have been enjoy
cd by neighbors and friends but the
idea Of converting them int money
CrcIs has hardly been seriously con-
siiered. Except hat some Of the
grapes aNe been converted into wine
chiefly for home consumption fer
oft infirmities' in 2 section where
the name Timothy was popular. no
body thought Of the scuppernong rs
a money crop. The same with sweet
potatoes. Enough were banked
against the needs of the cold weather
and for roasting for company, AMI
Il few were sold. But that was all.
Tne day is not far distant when Col
ulnbus county can get as much money
for its sweet potatoes and scupper-
nong crops as for it's strawberry crop.
The North is growing tired Of siccant
roots called sweet potatoes. 1t wants
sugar in their'n' and the demanf
for sweet potatoes is growing. Curri-
tuck county has made over II hun.
dred thousand dollars this year in
shipping early sweet potatoes. Column
bus mas shipped some. but not enough
g cunt it a big none crop, but its
people are going into raising sweet
potatoes fer market. The land herc
produces potatoes as sWeet as h
Currituck soil and the progressive
men are looking in that direction. AS
to scuppernong grapes, they are al
ready in demand an pay well. Mt
a few people AVE made good MONEY
Sc Hing them, and others are putting
IN vineyards. A man can sell 500
worth of grapes from one acre Of good
bearing vines. The wine makers are
glad to get them at that price and Jay
sen entv-five cents a buShel for them.
Think Of making $3.50 an acre on a
crop that needs little cultivation, {
WAS talking today With a farmer who
said he was going to put four acres
liz scuppernong grapes because ne
could make more one on that crop
VIII less work than growing any oti-
cr crop. The vine bears many years,
md the older the line the sooner in
the season Will the grapes ripen. liz
is planting with the view OF selling
his grapes at seventy-fiVe cents q
Dushel to the wine makers. But eA-
Senator Joseph A. Brown, whose fore
s;-ht in the strawberry culture gives
weight to his views, says he believes
s~cucpcTnong grapes can be grown
fer Shipment to Northern markets
like strawberries. A scuppcrnon9
crane is many times sweeter than 4
strawberry and when one the fo1,s
in Boston find they can get the scup-
pernong fresh and good the emand
Will be very great and prices WI DC
profitable. The chief trouble about
shippin. scuppernongs,' said Mr..
Brown, |is the picking. If care is
taken in the picking SO the 3 apes
will not ferment, they can be ship