The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-04-21
on GROW|NG "sUGARsPuDS'
Suggestions for Care Of Sweet Potato
Beds and Setting Of Plants
to the Field.

-FOUR inches of sand or sandy loan SOIL
rs placed over the potatoes IN the
bed. This will force the slips TO come
up through four inches of soil or SAND.
When the slips are three inches
above the surface of TIE crCunl they
win be large enough tC set To me
field. Care should be taken 10 wet
the sweet potato bed thoroughly TWO
or three hours before tie slips are
drawn; otherwise they may be broken
in drawing
1t will require three bushels OF po-
tatoes to furnish sufficient slips TO
plant an acre One acre transplant
ed early in the season, say during Ine
middle of May, will provide enough
vine cuttings to set five acres more.
After the vines have made growth
Of from ten to twelve inches they are
cut and transplanted in the same way
as slips. These cuttings are usually
Hpom eight to ten inches long, ana set
their full length in the soil, leaving
two or three buds only above the sur
face. In order that large NUMBER
of cuttings may be available early IN
the season, it is desirable to trans
plant the first acre of slips on COM
paratiyely rich soil, or to fertilize the
land heavily with commercial 1er'
tilizer in order to stimulate a vigorous
h growth.
Use Vine Cuttings.
4 Potatoes grown from cuttings VIII
he freer from disease than those
4 grown from slips. Therefore, 1t is de-
! sirable to have as large per cent o.
the crop as possible produced from
vine cuttings rather than from Slips
Three or four drawings may be mace
from the potato bed, provided tne
slins are not allowed to grow too long
before removing them. The slips are
supported by the plant food contained
in the potato itself, and after the third
drawing is removed, will not sprou'
freely.
In order that the slips or cuttings
NAV be transplanted to the field as
soon as they are large enough, the
mound where the potatoes are to be
Hlanted should be prepared IN al
vance, 50 that advantage may De
taken Of a good season; otherwise II
NAV be necessary to water the plants
an they are transpianted to the held.
This. of course, is very expensive ana
rsNould be avoided wherever possible.
Distance for Setting.
The usual distance for setting the
plants is from fifteen to eighteen
inches apart in three-foot rows.
When set eighteen inches apart It VIII
require $3.50 plants to set an acre;
AZ set twelve inches apart, as Is some
times recommended, 1t will require
1880. Potatoes are seldom set az
close as twelve inches in the row.
and this is done only when the tend
eacy is for the potatoes to grow TOO
large. By close setting a larger num-
her of potatoes is produced, but very
few of the large or jumbo type are
Sound, the idea being to produce as
isrse q percentage as possible OF the
No. potato, that is one that Is not
mare than 31h or less than IL inches
In diameter.
Preparing and Fertilizins the Lana.
After the land for sweets has been
thoroughly plowed, the rows should
ne laid of three feet and deep FUR
row opened with a shovel plow. The
fertilizer should be applied in this
6rill at the rate Of 600 to 500 pounds
per acre, ridge formed over this fur
,ow nv running two burrows with
balf.shoyel turn plow on each SIDE.
The plants should then be set on this
he'd. A fertilizer analyzing percent
nhosphoric acid, 8 percent nitrogen,
and three percent potash Is recon-
rnended fer the Piedmont region,
whose the soils are clayey, or clayey-
1oam. In the central and southern
narts OF the state, where the soils are
more or less sandy, fertilizer analyz'
ting 8 percent phosphoric acid, 3 per
cent nitrogen, and 6 percent potash Is
rsbmmendsa. The greatest care
.NoSld be taken in the preparation OF
The land and the subsequent cultiva-
tion in order that as high yield as
nossible may be obtained. We should
endeavor to produce not less than 100
bushels per acre. Two hundred to
a95 bushels are frequently harvested
vhere the fields are properly plo~ed,
fertilized, and cultivated.
Varieties Recommended.
The Porto Rico, Nancy Hall, and
Triumph are the three varieties now
being grown most extensively IN the
south. The Porto Rico is the most
nopular variety in this state. Tne
triumph is an early variety ana is
nlanted extensively when the pota'
toes are shipped green to the north
ern markets during August and Sep
tember
Tn an age demanding efficiency
there is no place for the scrub.