Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-03-08
SWEET
POTATOES


81 food, say specialists in the Unit
cd States Department of hgri-
culture. II is quite easy To increase the
acreage enormously and the adoption Of
better methods Of handling and storing
would improve the product to such an
extent that the demand would be great
~ stimulated
Storing sweet potatoos hue eiwaye
been more difficult problem than pro-
ducing them. A large part OF the
Southern crop is kept in pits and banks,
with the result that probably 80 per ecut
which arc ht TO PIT OH the market do
banks can not be opened during vet or
rainy weather without risk of injuring
all the stock in them, 80 that il is not
uncommon for growers To he unable, be.
cause Of weather conditions. To get out
their potatoes AT the very time that the
market demand for them is greatest.
These differences can be done away
with 10 great extent By the use OF
sweet potato storage houses the man
ascncnt and construction Of which arc
discussed in detail in Farmers Bulletin
5l0 OF the Department of Agriculture
Records covering the storage in such
buildings of 22S,3l8 bushels OF potatoes
Tor an average period of IA days show
The average decay 10 be only 24S per
cent. II they were to be adopted gen
orally by growers in the South, il is
estimated that at least $l0,000,000 would
be added TO the value OF the crop each
year.
The sweet potato is, however, likr
practically all other crops subject 10 dis
case IN the field as we'll as To decay in
storage. Black rot, scurf and soft rot
arc found wherever the crop is grown.
stem rot foot rot and other diseases Of
minor importance are severe only in iso-
lated centers, and, with the exception Of
foot rot, all the diseases do more dam
age in the North, where the crop is
grown intcnsively, than in The south. I'm
the North the loss from disease is esti-
mated at from 10 to 40 per cent OF the
annual crop; i'll the South, including
storage diseases, at from 10 to 20 per
cent: The best methods for the control
OF the various diseases arc discussed in
Farmers Bulletin IA.
Partly because OF the difference in
their ability to resist disease, and partly
because Of market demands, more at
tention should he paid TO the variety Of
sweet potato grown For example, Vel
low Jerseys, Big Stem Jerseys, Nancy
Halls and Early Carolinas arc particu-
larry susceptible 10 stem rot, whereas
most OF the other commercial varieties
arc more or less resistant On the other
hand, the Yellow and the Big Stem Ter
scys, which are dry and mcaly wien
cooked, suit the Northern consumer and
arc the varieties commonly sold to him.
However, the markets of the Central
West and West will take the scn1i-moist
varieties, such as Nancy Hall and Doc
ley. II they are properly graded and
packed The highest price paid for car
load lots OF sweet potatoes on the Chi
cago market in two successive seasons
was Tor Southern grown Nancy Hall.
In the South a moist-neshed potato is
preferred. a knowledge OF such facts
IS essential 10 profitable marketing Of
the crop. but at the. present time most
producers, especially in the South. grow
a number OF different varieties in the
same held and store them miscellaneous
ly together The result is improbable
confusion
Even as It IS, sweet potatoes are in
point of value. the second most impor-
tant truck crop in the United States, be-
ing exceeded only BY Irish potatoes. The
production, however can be increased
almost indefinitely, for there arc mil
lions OF acres Of cheap cut over lands in
the South well adapted to the crop. BY
adopting the improvements suggested,
the demand can be increased proper
tionately. for ain attractive product can
men be placed on the market throughout
the year. instead of for a short season