Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-15
SELECT BEST TYPE
Of SWEET POTATO

Selection of the sweet potato seed
stock at digging time permits Of the
choice of potatoes that are true to
variety and from high-yieldlng hills
and tends to build up heavy yielding
strains experiments by the United
have shown. Seed free from stem
rot can be secured at, digging time,
while the potatoes are still attached
to the vines. Each hillN should
be tested by splitting the stem, and
potatoes should be taken for seed
only from plants, the insides of
whose stems are not streaked with
bered that heavy frost will also
produce similar appearance.
Only few of the varieties of
sweet potatoes grown in the United
States are of commercial Importance.
Many other varieties and strains are
widely distributed, however, and
much of the sweet potato stock ordi-
narily obtainable is a mixture of va
rieties and strains, some of which are
practically worthless for market. The
United States department of agricul-
ture points out that growers will do
well to concentrate their effots to
true-to-name stocks of such we'll
known varieties as Yellow Jersey,
Big. Stem Jersey, Gold Skin, Nancy
Hall, Porto Rico, Dooley and Triumph.
This list includes the well-known
worthwhile commercial sorts.
Some varieties and strains, while
attractive in appearance and good
yielders, are of such poor quality
that they are not desirable, and these
should be omitted from the grow
er's list of varieties. Some of these
undesirables look very much like the
standard varieties. A grower should
determine the sort best suited to his
soil and most in demand in the mar
ket available to him, then secure true
to-name seed stock.
The fall selection of seed is neces-
sary, owing to the fact that in the
spring or during the winter it is diff
ficult, and frequently impossible, to
tell whether the roots are diseased
or not, since after a period in stor-
age the bundles (the tissues ira
versing the tubers) of healthy sweet
potatoes often become somewhat
darKened, even though the fungus is
not present.
A good plan is to go over the field
as the roots are plowed out and Sc
lect the hills showing the desired
characters, as an opportunity is thus
presented to study all the character
istics of each plant. 1t is not neces-
sary to retain the large potatoes from
the desired plants for seed, as the
uIu-SlZSu. OuGSs LllUSoS lIOlIl " 4
inches in diameter and from to 3
inches long are better for seed pur-
poses.
The seed stock should be gathered
in crates or hampers, marked to
show the variety. transported to the
storage house on a spring wagon,
and placed in a part of the house
where they will not come in contact
with the general stock. In other re-
spects the treatment should be the
same as that given the commercial
crop-that is, it should be cured for
period of from 10 to II days, at a
temperature of about IS degrees, aft
er which the temperature should be
reduced to about SIS degrees and held
there for the storage period. Every
sweet potato grower should secure
a copy of Farmers Bulletin 500 en-
titled. Sweet potato Growing and
Farmers Bulletin 1859 entitled,
Sweet Potato Diseases" These bull
letins may be obtained free upon ap-
%:cation to the United States de-
partment Of agriculture, Washington
d, G..