The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-12-11
(By j. w. Beeson, A. NJ, LII. D., Presi-
dent Women's College, Meridian,
MiSS.)

One of the best crops for the south
ern states t raise is that of sweet pc
tatoes. 1t can be planted after a croI
Of oats or early crop of Irish potatoes
or any early crop and will make before
frost. 1t can be made with less labor
than most crops and will produce
large yield per acre. Land that viii
yield thirty bushels of corn, a hall
bale Of cotton per acre will produce
from 100 to $50 bushels of sweet po-
tatoes to the acre. They stand a
drouth we'll and can stand a rainy
season with good results. If the land
is broken deep and smoothed off well,
marked off in three-foot rows with a
marker, then slips" or vines can be
set out without bedding the land and
cultivated level will make more than
set on the beds.
The greatest problems has always
been to keep sweet potatoes through
the winter. This is why thew are not
more largely raised for market.
The Meridian Male College and Me-
ridian Woman's College, of Meridian,
Miss, have been making experiments
for many years in order to discover a
plan by which sweet potatoes can be
kept with a reasonable certainty to be
marketed when prices are higher. We
believe we have solved this problem.
After several years of testing the
plan we have been able to keep about
90 to 90 per cent of our sweet potatoes
.xa1,l;-,. n,,f o,l hrpicn1 nnnS fill
used up or until our new ones come in
the next year.
Our plan briefly stated is thus:
Build a tight house, storm sheath 1t,
cover with builders paper and wealth
erboard it. cell walls and overhead,
leave door in outh end. windows in
north end. We use two doors and
double windows in same, opening one
on inside and one on outside
This leaves dried air space to keep
building warm, make air shaft in CEN
ter of roof and open it south with
transom above the roof. Make slotted
shelving on each side beginning about
twelve inches from dirt floor. Shelves
two feet apart made of o~ne-by-four
lumber placed one inch apart so air
Can CIRCULATE lcCls lhiOuSh YIN
shelves. We have an aisle in center
three feet wide, build house ten or
twelve feet wide and as long as want
ed. 1t takes one thirty feet long to
hold 1000 bushels. Dig potatoes in as
dry time as possible. Handle them
carefully so as not to bruise them. Put
cut ones to themselves and smallest
POTATOES on bottom shelves as 1t takes
them longer to dry on the bottom.
Place a large stove in center OF the
room. If the building is long put in
two stoves. Heat up o to a 100
degree temperature by shutting doors
and windows. Open transom in VEN
tilating shaft. A small vent hole I'M
der the door for intake of air is neces-
sary while drying if the building IS
tight. The stove must be heated as
soon as the first potatoes are put IN
so as to begin driving them at once be-
fore they rot. The idea is to kiln
drvthe potatoes. The moisture cult
Yates the rot germs it can't live in a
drv potato.
Get excess of moisture out of pota-
toes asQuickly as possible. 1t X
about ten days of heat with thermom-
eter registering 1~0O-degrees to dry the
potatoes after the last have been put
in the house. When thoroughly dry.
omen IN doors and windows, cool Off
stove and room. Keep it as cool as
POSSIBLE without freezing. Forty de-
erees will be right. or as near as pos
sible. No more heat will be needed all
the winter. In freezing weather shut