White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-11-21

be far the heaviest yielder. The
crop raised this year was the best
yield of which found any record.
| Twenty-seven tons to the acre was
the yield, taken from accurate
measurement. Unfortunately the red
potato has never been introduced
into the Northwest market as it
has been in the South, altho there
was reluctant market for the lin
tied amount grown here at S1OO
per ton and the orders seemed to
repeat quite well.
"As an experiment we distributed
last spring to dozen different farm
ers in different localities, Plants that
were set out in various kinds of
soil. Some of these yielded very well
while others were very light. The
reason for this do not know. I at
tribute the cause for my unusal pro-
duction to the splendid condition of
the soil. 1t had been built up into
excellent shape over a period of
several years before got it and had
been planted to corn the previous
year. Plenty of dope" can be had
for conditioning the soil in the South
but that may not apply here at all.
That may be a problem that we
ourselves must solve. One thing is
sure, however, and that is the fact
that freshly manured fertilized with
green manure) soil will produce all
vines and no potatoes. In one case
where the red potatoes were plant
ed in sand, fair yield was pro-
duced but the potatoes were almost
white; while other sandy soil pro-
duced potatoes true to color.
1T is said that sweet potatoes nev-
er blossom, but where they are plant
ed on fershly manured soil and where
they grow to all vine, they frequent
ly blossom. The blossoms are like
those of the morning glory. In fact
they are nothing more or less than
morning glory with enlarged roots.
Most of their growth, Ike the MORN
ing. glory's being made during warm
nights.
Sweet potatoes, as many think,
are not planted as the Irish potato
in fact, there lis no relation be-
tween the two whatever. A hotbcd
is elaborately prepared and heated
with manure. To do this properly
It is well to get pamphlet on hotbed
construction. After the heat settles
down to uniform degree, the po-
tatoes are put in and covered up
and from fifteen to fifty sprouts
will spring from each potato, ac-
cording to its size. When these at
tain height of from six to eight
inches, finger is placed on the po-
tato and all the sprouts pulled for
planting. Three or four sets of
sprouts may be taken from each po-
tato IN this manner and in fact they
will continue to send forth sprouts
all summer if they are permitted to
lie ii the bed. But usually about the
first of June the bed is cleaned
out, further sprouting being too late
for planting. The sprouts are planted
n the field like ordinary young
plants.
"The sweet potato, like most other
farm products, cannot receive too
much cultivation. About the first of
July long runners begin to shoot
out in every direction, which makes
cultivation difficult However, they
may be thrown back once or twice
until they begin to tangle with those
across the rows when it becomes
necessary to lay then by and let
the vines take the fell.
"In the South it is the custom
to plant sweet potatoes on ridges.
This is unnecessary here because
we do> not get the soaking rains that
they have in the South, and even if
we did, the water does not stand
on the top Of the ground here to
drown the potatoes and pack the
ground. 1t is just as we'll, if not
better, to do our hilling afterwards
as you would common potato.
"The South has machinery with
which to plant, cultivate and dig it's
sweet potatoes. They also have a
storage system built up over a
period of a hundred years, all of
which is necessarily expensive. None
Of the Northwestern storage will
successfully store sweet potatoes as
they require a warm, even temper
ed and well ventilated storage; and
until we can ascertain that this is
staple crop here we must work, un-
der "a handicap. But as an Offset to
that we have the advantage of saw
ing the long and costly freight haul
which the Southern farmer must
deduct from his profits to get his
crop into our market"