The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-08-18
'SAYS SWEET POTATO IS
A MONEY GETTER
Informing Address at Conference on
Work Of the Development
Board.

Board.
y The News and Courier.
OF particular interest at the con-
ference yesterday in relation to the
South Carolina Development Board
were the remarks Of Mr.. H. E. Horton
the boards manager on the sweet
potato. State Senator Niels Chris
tensen, of Beaufort, chairman, took
part in the conference. The two Off
GERS told business men of the boards
activities and the success it Is achiev-
ing.
Mr.. Horton said that at present
there are >107 curing" houses for
sweet potatoes in South Carolina and
as many more projected. He pointed
out that this sweet potato industry
has reached interesting preparations
in the State, and that it is remunera-
tive to those who are following it.
Cotton must always be one of the
big crops of the State and we may
+ Fot give up it's production, but the
hour has struck when another cash
eiop must move to the fore, namely,
| lhe sweet potato" Mr.. Horton said.
Everybody, North and South, likes
the sweet potato. Some of our people
yss have not been away from home.
N"naving been in the North, have not
Studied the subject carefully, say the
Northern man does not like the moist
sugarery Porto Rico variety and de-
mands the dry poorly favored pota-
to grown in New Jersey, Delaware
and Virginia. Opposed to this men
who have made this subject their
special study report the Northern
msn does like the moist sugarery
sort We like so we'll.
1T may be asked, why haven't We
built up a demand in the Northern
market for our produce? The reason
why ws haven't had nothing to do
with excellence of the potatoes, but is
due to the fact the Southern grower
has never put up standard pack
and handled the selling end in the
businesslike way demanded by the
trade. The New Jersey grower, with
an inferior article, puts up stand
ard peck and handles his sales like a
real business man.
What are we doing about it? The
South Carolina Sweet Potato Asso-
citation, backed and coached by the
South Carolina Development Board, is
perfecting plans at this time to grade
pack and market comparatively the
pack of its eighteen member houses.
The sweet potato crop will be han
did in a way very similar to the way
cotton will be handled by the South
Carolina Cotton Growers Coopera-
Association-locals made up growers
located in all parts of the State pro-
ducing sweet potatoes, districts made
up of locals, and finally the head sell
ing organization. The Development
Beard is making the necessary stud
les preparatory to launching this pro-
ject.
"The market demands graded stock,
ae so-called Number Ones and
Number Twos,' Choice Number Ones,
suitable for baking weighing to
10 ounces) retail at 10 to IA cents a
pound. Number Twos for to
cents a pound.
''To put up the choice pack it is
necessary to find some use for the
'jumbos,' strings and cuts which
must be culled out. These culls may
be used % make a line of high grade
sby-products: Cattle feed, table syrup
vinegar, starch. flour.
1.-THE curing process makes it pos
sible to keep potatoes from the time
just prior to the first frost until the
middle of the following May; and
curing houses located in the Pied
mont district should have no diff
Guilty keeping the potatoes we'll into
June. AS We begin to get new pota-
toes the middle of July there is only
a short interim when potatoes may
not be offered on the market.
1.-The sweet potato grows to great
est perfection on the light sandy
loans of the coastal plain district.
and with little care producers over a
hundred bushels per acre of field
run, and with care may be made to
produce $50 to 400 bushels per acre.
There are '107 curing houses in
the State and as many more project
ed. If the houses Join the South Caro-
lima Sweet Potato Association, and
adhere strictly to its rules, the grow
ing of sweet potato may be made a
very remunerative business.
Ninety per cent of the potatoes
grown In the State Is the Porto Rico
variety, not that 1t is the best tast-
ing as We all know, but because 1t
is a big yielding variety. fairly free
from disease, keeps well and stands
shipping"