The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-03-23
THE NORTH HAS DRY TASTE
They Refuse to Be Educated to
The Real yellow Vans and
Southern Potato Pie; But
There Is The Lesson for the
Southern Potato Growers
and Shippers
Nv. r. ~YELVERTON,l

wv. +. YELVERTON.)
Washington. D. c., March 20.-On
the heels Of an announcement by the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture that there is a large supply Of
storage Irish potatoes in northern
~rehou and that consequently
truck growers will receive a small re-
turn for their potato crop this year
ZONES an encouraging bulletin from
the DepaN ment on the subject of
sweet po.G.oes. The bulletin says
that the sweet potato crop is one of
the most important in the South and
that the acreage could be greatly in
creased without reducing the unit
value Of the crop.
The explanation for a better future
in the potato crop lies along the lines
OF better storage SO the years sup
ply can be constant. Irish potatoes
can be found on the market all the
year round. but sweet potatoes are
scarce even in northern markets at
some seasons Of the year. Thousands
Of southern farmers, the Depart
ment's bulletin say do not have
enough sweet potatoes for home use
throughout the year and very few Of
the small cities n towns in the
South have a continuous or sufficient
supply. The small cities Of the west
and middle west are not supplied
with sweet potatoes except for a few
weeks In autumn.
Sweet potatoes have risen in de-
mand for the past few years for can
ming. Gamers have contracted for
sweet potatoes for 35 and 40 cents a
bushei delivered at the factory, and
sales at canneries AVE relieved
growers Of the necessity of furnish
Ing packages.
Good for Man and Beast.
"RegidoS QrOuiOC SyUaot nototOoc
for human food" the bulletin con.
tinues. thousands of acres could be
probably grown for stock-feedine
purposes. The quantity that can be
used p%roftably for this purpose Il
limited only by the number Of ami.
other o available. All classes o.
livestock will eat potatoes, but thei
greatest value is as food for hog,
and cattle. Dairy COWS can be fet
sweet potatoes without danger Of in
jur'o,Mly affecting the flavor Of tn
milk"
Detailed instructions for beddine
setting. ~cultivating, harvesting, stor
ing and packing potatoes are furnish
ed by the Department. Types Of soil
crop rotation with potatoes, and doz
ems of other allied details are fur
nished. Three to four bushels Q
sweet potatoes are equal to one bush
el OF corn for hogs, and the Depart
ment POINTS out that on light so
that will produce from twenty t
twenty-five bushels Of corn to tn
acre. from 100 to $50 bushels Of pc
tatoes con he grown with the sam
care and attention. Moreover, hos
can do their W harvesting.
In naming a number of ~varietie
Of sweet potatoes which can be pro-
itably grown for hunan food, tn
Derar tment calls attention to a trut
that has greatly affected the sweet Do
tato market, namely that care shoul
b taken to grow the varieties mo.
liked by the section where the pots
to- are to be marketed. The con
plant of southerners in Washingto
against the sweet potatoes here
that they are too dry. They miss IL
dripping sweetness of the SPANS
and yellow vans Of the South ar
object to the mealy quality Of Il
Serkee variety.
Southern potatoes. however, ha,
always failed to reach northern ma
kets for the reason that few grove
take the trouble to cater to the nortl
potato the better to the southel
taste. Only occasionally in Was
ington even does one find q re
sweet potato. The Virginia a,
MARYLAND growers usually cater to d
eastern trade Northern people Ii
u uTy sweet potato, just as they Iii
q dry Irish potato and they refr
TO be educated.
Culture Ruins Good Pie.
The poor quality Of potato pie.
custard as ii is more common
known in the South. in Washingt
makes it a distinctly Southern de
Gao here with no chance to dr.;
recruits. SOuthernerS eat it out
respect for their recollections ard
spite OF the starch and other stiffe
ing the chefs seem compelled to 7
In II and hravely endure the assau