Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-28
SWEET POTATO HISTORY
In GEORGIA IS TRACED
Georgia Pumpkin Yam Was
Acknowledged Leader in
Other Days - Interesting
Facts
BY MARTIN V. CALVIN
Statistician Georgia Department of
Agriculture

IS
Agriculture
The Georgia Pumpkin Yam OF
other days was the acknowledges
queen Of sweet potatoes of every
known variety. Properly treated, ii
gave a uniformly high average yield
per acre. The Pumpkin Yam and
the Georgia Rattlesnake Watermel,
on were distinctive features in all
farm projects in Richmond county;
indeed, Richmond county was the
native heath Of the two toothsome
vegetables. BY degrees, of course,
they found their way into a large
number of counties in the state.
Through a long series of years, the
variety of each was kept in their
pristine purity. This is a very i'm
portant matter as to every crop of
recognized value. We need to stick
a pin here, and look carefully into
the suggestion submitted.
remember an instance in my boy
hood in Augusta, where L was born,
reared and educated, that related to
a most extraordinary yield Of sweet
potatoes per acre in Richmond Coun-
ty. Robert Virgins, a leading farm
er, and for several terms, sheriff of
the county, declared he had harvest
ed four hundred bushels of marketa-
bic sweet potatoes from a measured
acre. The sweets belonged to one
of the leading varieties.
Mr.. Virgins habitually carried a
small wallet when on his rounds in
the city and when shaking hands
with the electors at the stamping
ground" of each militia district.
Wherever he journeyed, he was in
terrogated as to the four hundred
bushels of sweet tubers he had har-
vested from a measured acre of
sandy-loam on his spacious farm.
In replying to such inquiries, he as
serted the grad grind fact, and re-
marked:
If anybody questions the accura-
cy of the statement I have just
made. I have the confirmatory pa
pers in this wallet" No person ever
had the temerity to call for the pa
pers.
One beautiful November morning,
just in advance of the first killing
1IOSL u l1ldI ScctSOllJ OlC CIlClS EAu-
gust, one of the host of thoroughly
trustful negroes of those glad days,
was astride his favorite mule, Hulda
on his way with q mission from the
colonel at the big House" on the
central plantation, to another plan
tatiOn of the cOlonelS a few miles
distant. One of Uncle August's nu.
merous grandsons had prevailed on
his to take him along. Hulda was
trotting at a brisk rate of speed;
for Hulda knew the several planta-
tons almost as well as did Uncle
August.
They entered a lane on either side
of which stretched fields of sweet
potatoes.
Said the grandson: "Grandad, just
look at dem taters over de fence"
you hush up, Ephriam. I am GO
ing to attend to old masters bust
ness"
After a lapse of ten minutes, the
boy exclaimed:
"Granddad, just look at dem ia
ters over dar, they are busin' out
had a peck of dem taters and a big
LdL pOSSuIlly we u llcl We cI JIo SuppCL
tonight when we get back homen'
flush up, boy; first thing YOU
know you scare Hulda and she'll
run away and throw me right over
into dat later patch! Go on, Hulda
[ got my masters business to tend
to-"
1 am inclined to believe that that
particular lane ran through Mr..
Virgins Well-conducted, broad.
aCred farm!
Potatoes Not on Governments List,
Notwithstanding the inestimable val
ue and the .well-deserved popularity
of the Georgia pumpkin yam, and a
number Of varieties almost as good
for the table, the government failed
to list them, except in census re-
ports. Irish or white potatoes were
listed. For example, from 1885 to
1898, both inclusive, no mention was
made Of sweet potatoes except, in
one instance, to ploint out the evil
Of rot in the tubers. This applies
to other sweet potato producing
states. There are now tWentyseven
of these states.
Ten are the strictly cotton states,
ter sweet potatoes of record is our
fault to a considerable extent.
Incidentally, it should be stated
that it remained for Mr.. l.. B. Jack.
son, the ever alert director of the
bureau of markets, within the depart
ment Of agriculture, to induce the
government to write sweet potatoes
into the list of desirable food prod
ucts that should be used in MAX
ing up bills of fare for our soldiers
in the World war. The bureau of
markets has accomplished a vast
deal of good In pushing into union
wide notice, Georgia yams and other
Of her varieties of sweet potatoes,
together with many other Georgia
farm products Whic hcannot be eX-
celled in quality-ofttimes in guam
tity.
You ask:
what was the volume of the
Georgia sweet potato crop, and the
value of the same, say for the eight
years last past?'
The answer is, 19141921, both in
elusive, the crop amounted to 3d.
0S1 900 bushels valued at $75,l82, 900.
The annual average production was
10,260,125 bushels; the annual aver
age value, $9,360,250. Those figures
are based on farm prices the years
mentioned.
In passing, 1 must direct atten-