The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-30

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 30.-An
army of big, red juicy southern sweet
potatoes is marching on the northern
markets to compete with the paler and
drier Jersey sweet potato which has
for generations held the field almost
unchallenged. In fact, some OF the
southern invaders are already here.
A good many carloads of them have
reached Washington, which has always
used some, and points north should be
prepared for the invasion. The south
erners have planned an intensive ad-
vertising campaign, and associations
are being formed all through the south
for the purpose of pushing the sweet
potato campaign.
If you want to help the South, which
is just now having a struggle with
hard times and the boil weevil, and in
cidentally add a new delicacy to your
table, buy southern sweet potatoes.
Serve them candied and make sweet
potato pie out of them. If you do not
know how, you can find the recipes
in any complete cookbook.
Nor does this necessarily mean
abandoning the Jersey potato for its
more succulent southern rival. The
people of the United States could prof
itably eat q great many more sweet
potatoes than they do, and there is
every reason why they should eat both
kinds, for the southern and northern
potato differ enough to be considered
two distinct vegetables.
It is possible to debate at great leng-
III their respective merits. The Jersey
sweet potato is dry, almost powdery
when cooked, and has a low sugar con.
tent compared TO the southern variety
The southern potato is succulent and
high in sugar content. It candies
beautifully, and when rightly cooked
is real delicacy Any southerner can
! become eloquent on short notice about
! his native sweet potato. He does moi
see how any one can eat the dry and
; sugarless northern potato when he
might have big red sweet potato that
! is really sweet. He also makes the
/ claim that this southern sweet potato
! is an especially digestibIe article. Not
only is the potato easily assimulateC
, itself, he claims, but it acts as a digest
i've for other foods and especially fol-
rich meats, so that roast pork and pos
sum are always served with sweet
potatoes in the South. The southern
ers go far to claim that indigestion
! is rare complaint in the southern
sweet potato belt. and they attribute
this largely to the high digestive VALUE
of the sweet potato.
Advantages of Southern Potato
Whatever there may be in this claim
! there is no doubt that the southern
I sweet potato deserves a much larger
place on the American bill of fare than
it has. Even if you prefer the dry
northern potato for baking. the south.
ern potato is better for pie and il
! alone can be successfully candied
Furthermore, the southern potato is
higher in sugar content and there
fore in food value. 1t also keeps bet
( ter and ships better although any
! sweet potato is a difficult commodity
TO distribute. Again, the southern pc
: tato by reason of the rich southern
( soil, the long growing season and the
cheap labor of that region can be pro
! duced somewhat more cheaply thar
! the northern potato. Once the south
erners have perfected a system of dis
| tribution through the North, they vii
be able to give the northerners ar
excellent food at a low price.
The trouble is that preferences in
matters of eating are formed almost
( entirely by habit. However fine the
southern sweet potato may seem to &