The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-03-19
the SWEET POTATO.
| A MONEY CROP
| OF IMPORTANCE
r. H.jJeter, Soil Improvement Cor,
IN mIttee.


I'd money crops. the southern sweet
potato is rapidly gaining In popularit,
As field crop Of first importance. One
pf the greatest drawbacks to its sue
ressfal establishment has been that nc
adequate means of curing and storing
dad been advised until the last few
gears. With the successful operation
of these potato storage houses. how
Nver, the crop can now be marketed
successfully. II Is probably one OF
the most cheaply grown crops Of the
South and with proper fertilization
the least fertile lands can be made To
produce excellent yields. Statistics
show that 1t is an ordinary accom-.
plishment to grow a crop OF from 200
to 400 bushels per acre on most any
soil Of average fertility with proper
fertilization.
Possibilities As Money Crop.
AS to the money income from the
crop, 1t must be said that 1t com.
pares most favorably with cotton. Sta
kistics show that the average return
from an acre of cotton amounts to
about s70.S7 per acre, while the re-
turns from an acre OF potatoes
amounts to $13419. One grower In
South Carolina reports to the college
that he made net profit OF $1,216.36
on four acres, which Is a return over
three hundred dollars per acre. This
grower was careful to keep an accu'
rate account Of all expenses, including
that of curing, marketing and grad
ing his crop, and his experience shows
the possibilities OF the sweet potato
rs a money crop for the South. In
fact, 1t proves the value Of the crop
beyond all question.
Produce Well On Nearly All Soils.
! The soil and climatic conditions of
the lower South are very favorable
to Its growth and produce root much
sweeter and richer In nutriment than
the harder and more starchy tuber
OF the more northern states. The po
tato makes its best yields In the san.
Siier soils. 1t will do well on most
any soil that ia well drained, but II
grown on soils that are too fertile.
produces a larger amount OF vine at
the expense Of the potatoes. A light
soil, not too fertile, with firm sub
soil, gives best results. II the sub
soil Is too loose, and not compact, q
large proportion Of the roots will be
stringy and unfit for market purposes.
Preparation Of the soil is about as
for cotton. The land is broken, laid
OF. the fertilizers applied In the rows
and this bedded upon. The ridge Ia
generally allowed to settle firmly be-
fore the slips or vines are planted
Some Leading Varieties.
AS to varieties. the Nancy Hall
seems to be the prime favorite at this
time. The Porto Rico and Triumph
varieties are also very popular and
rank with the Nancy Hall as good
yielder and market favorite. The
Southern Queen and Yellow Jersey are
two other varieties which have found
favor with some growers.
Liberal Fertilization Important.
The question OF fertilizers is, oil
course, related to the kind Of soil on
which the crop is grown. On the
whole the crop needs liberal fertiliza.
ton and responds we'll to this treat.
ment. The sweet potato needs com.
plete fertilizer and an application OF
at least from 800 to 1000 pounds pei
acre. Some manure may be applied
but 1t should be understood that this
is an unbalanced plant food. that be
cause Of its nitrogen content will de-
Telop the vine to the detriment OF the
roots if applied in too large quaint
ties. The same thing IS true Of com
mercial fertilizer mixture having 8
high nitrogen analysis. The crop
needs potash more than do genera
field crops, since this element seems
to aid in the elaboration of starch in
the roots. 1t was found, however, thai
during the shortage Of potash, due t
the recent war, that sweet potatoes
would produce well with less amount
OF potash than had been previously
thought necessary.
For best results the crop must have
a good supply of readily available
phcsphoric acid. A formula contain
ing all three Of the necessary ele
ments of plant food would be, for the
coasta. plain region. 9 per cent avail
able phosphoric acid, per cent nitro
gen and per cent potash. For the
Piedmont region, a good mixture will
contain per cent available phos
phoric acid, 2 per cent nitrogen anC
3 per cent potash.
Curing Houses Solves Marketing
ProAiem.
Curing and storage houses are nov
going up rapidly all over the South
Some Of these are established on the
individual farm for the individual
crop, but many large houses to store
the community crop are also being con
nsya,cted The curing house saves