The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-05-09
SWEET POTATOES
SHOULD Be GROWN
will Help Provide For a. Hun.
cry World During Coming
Winter.

Columbia.-The sweet po,a,u will
help In q largo way to solve the prob.
lem OF providing food-and, like the
irish potato. Il food that will largely
take the place OF bread.
In order that the best results NAV
Dc OBTAINED. the following informa.
ton on Growing Sweet Potatoes in
South Carolina" has been prepared nv
george r. Hoffman, extension horti.
culturist of Clemson College, at thu
request OF the Food Administration for
South Carolina:
growing Sweet Potatoes In South
Carolina.
mere are rev crops SO we'll adapted
~ SCUM carolina condte+ ons that can
ne grown with equa, success and proft
as can the sweet potato. This crop
OFFERS to the growers a,ery ADVANTAGE
that Is offered by other field or truck
crops.
ooll selection. preparation. %fertiliz-
lng' careful fitting and planting. and
cuitlyatlng are the essentials OF suc.
cess In the growing OF q crop OF sweet
potatoes.
SoI':-The sweet potato adapts IL.
SELF to a great diversity Of soil. hut IL
dell8hts IN and thriyes best on a welt
drained sandy or clay loan soil un.
derlaid with a clay subsoil. Regard.
less OF the apparent ideal physical
condition of the soil, CHS crop must be
rotated each ear Sweet potatoes
may follow corn; cotton. small grain
and leguminous cover crops. This
crop may be easily and effectively
worked into any we'll balanced three
year rotative systeHa.
Preparation Of SoiI:-The soil NAV
be thoroughly and deeply prepared by
turning twice to a depth Of 6 to 8
inches followed by cross discinR.
Crooked and irregular formed roots
result from preparatory shallow prep
aration Of the soil. Therefore, deep
II thorough preparation is very cs-
sential in the growing Of marketable
potatoes.
Fertilizers: - Both barnyard and
commercial fertilizers are recommend.
ed, but the former must be judiciously
used. Under the present potash short.
age conditions, that element OF plant
food most needed in excess, liberal ap.
plications OF barnyard manure will be
ound to be very effective in supple
menting this shortage, and correcting
the physical condition OF the soil. The
fertility and physical condition OF the
soil should determine the extent of
the applications, which should not be
in excess Of the needs. Ordinarily,
both commercial fertilizers and barn.
yard are applied in the drill,
when the soil Is being fitted for sci.
ting the plants, and as a side dresser
Fitting the Soil and Setting the
Plants:-Preparatory to setting the
plants. which should be from May 1st
to July 18th, lay off rows 81 to 4 feet
apart and apply the barnyard or COM
mercial fertilizers in the drill and
thoroughly mix with the soil. Plant.
ing beds OF medium height. depending
upon drainage, should be thrown up
and dragged down. and the plants or
vine.cuttings set IA to IS inches apart.
Correcting the packed condition OF
the soil brought about through the
tiansplanting process, Immediately
following the setting Of the plants, the
water burrows should be narrowed or
otherwise shallow cultivated.
. For late paintings. the one leaf. 8 to
10 inch vine cuttings are more dcsira.
BILE than are the plants, this being es-
pecially true in the growing OF seed
stock.
Varieties:-The Nancy Hall. Porto
Rico. and Triumph are the leading
and most popular varieties grown in
this State. The Triumph Is one of tho
earliest varieties, and should be plant.
ed when potatoes are grown for early
market.
Observation-Disclosures and shallow
cultivation should be practiced until
the vines have covered the ground,
during which period the greatest OF
care must be exercised In the turning
Of the vines. At the first cultivation.
which consists Of a careful hoeing and
siding with a broad furrow. a side
dressing OF cottonseed meal should DO
applied, at the rate OF one-half ton per
acre. and thoroughly mixed with the
soil. The Orangeburg sweep or heel
bow and shovel will be found to BIO
very effective in c~ultivatfng this crop.
The following record Of expenditures
and returns on an acre OF sweet pc.
tatoes was furnished us by a grower
in Richland county, South Carolina,
during 1917 and 1918:
Expenditures.
Rental value of land .........$ 500
Turning and narrowing twice. 400
Bedding ground ............ 100
CompoBt-10 loads at $780,. 1900
Spreading compost .......... 1.68
plants-1o.oo at s2.bo......... $500