211 
 
 9 N7 
 py 1 
 
 The 
 
 Sweet Potato 
 
 How to Grow 
 
 and Keep 
 
 It 
 
 By J. GREEN NORDIN, 
 
 Russellville, Arkansas 
 
The 
 
 Sweet Potato 
 
 How to Grow 
 
 and Keep 
 
 It 
 
 By J. GREEN NORDIN, 
 
 Russellville, Arkansas 
 

 
 V* 
 
 19 12 
 Courier-Democrat Print 
 
 Russellville, Arkansas 
 
 ©CU328987 
 / 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Rulssellville, Ark. 
 
 
 
 
 What This Book Contains. 
 
 In giving an outline of the sweet potlato industry, according to 
 my system of raising, digging, and keeping and selling, I will take 
 it unideir eleven different heads, as each, one needs to be studied sep- 
 arately. While they all are very essential, yet some are of more im- 
 portance than others. Study each one very closely, and only one at a 
 time, following all directions! as given. 
 
 These different subjects will be treated under the following heads, 
 to-wit: 
 
 1. Selection of seed for bedding. 
 
 2. Time for bedding, and different ways of bedding. 
 
 3. Selection and preparation of land. 
 
 4. Transplanting. 
 
 5. Cultivation. 
 
 6. Description and sizes of houses. 
 
 7. Cost of house. 
 
 8. Digging. 
 0. Keeping. 
 
 10. Marketing. 
 
 11. Diseases of Potatoes. 
 
The Sweet Potato — How to Grow and Keep It. 
 
 Results of My Methods. 
 
 Under the methods of growth and keeping- of potatoes outlined 
 herein, I have kept potatoes in sound condition for three years. Of 
 course they shrink in size when kept this long, and are not suitable 
 for market, but it shows what can be done with sweet potatoes un- 
 der my methods. 
 
 I have on file in the office of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 
 Arkansas at Little Rock a sworn affidavit to this effect. And in the 
 fall of 1911 1 had on exhibition on the 'Arkansas on Wheels" train 
 which toured the North and East, samples of potatoes from three 
 different crops (from the years 1909, 1910 and 1911, which were 
 
 viewed' with wonder (by thousands who visited this train. 
 
 Theire is no necessity for keeping sweet potatoes longer than o<ne 
 season, as they are always in great demand at highest prices in Late 
 winter and at planting time. Keep your potatoes until this time, and 
 you will find ready markets, at double and even treble the prices for 
 which your neighbors sell at diggimg time. 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Riussellville, Ark. 5. 
 
 A Personal Sketch. 
 
 In writing this little book, I feel that the first thing I should 
 do is to give a short history of myself, as people generally, when 
 asked to try something new on the testimony or recommendation of 
 some unknown person, usually ask, "Who is he?" "What has he 
 
 done?" "Has anyone tried his metlods and found them successful?" 
 
 I was horn July 29, 1880, about fifteen miles northwest of Rus- 
 sellville and six miles ncirth of London, Pope County, Arkansas,, ott 
 an upland farm of 160 acres, in the spurs of the Colony Mountain. Be- 
 ing reared by parents of moderate means, I did not have the opportu- 
 nity to receive the education that I longed for while young. However, 
 I improved what time I had, studying at night, by pine-knot fires for 
 light and following the plow handles by day. In the winter of 189 6 
 and 1897 I managed to take a course in the Atkins High School, and 
 in June of 189 7 I managed to pass the Teachers Examination and se- 
 cured license to teach in the free schools of Pope county. I secured a 
 school and began my first term as teacher on July 28 of the same 
 year, one day before I was seventeen yeans old. I then followed school 
 teaching and farming, going to school at such times as I could afford 
 to, until i was twenty-two years old. I then commenced the grow- 
 inig of sweet potatoes, which I have followed since with the exception of 
 a part of the years of 18 94 and 18 9 5, finding it more profitable than 
 any other occupation I have ever followed. 
 
 In the -primg of 1902 I commenced work for J. C. Shinn, the 
 pioneer potato raiser of this section, working for him the entire years 
 of 1902 and 1903. 
 
 Prom the age of a very small boy I was always dlisiganstedi with the 
 raising of cotton, working early and late and never getting anything 
 out of Lt except work and disappointments — expecting something, and 
 getting nothing. 
 
 So after working for J. C. Shinn in 1902 and making- a share 1 
 crop with him in 1903, I decided that I wanted to raise potatoes for 
 myself. But I did not have the means with wh'ch I could do so. In 
 the fall of 1903 I bought a small upland farm, and continued to work 
 for Mr. Shinn until the spring of the following year, when [ moved 
 to my own pirtce. and worked on the railrov.d the bf.lance of that 
 year and a part of 1905. Then I went to work on my farm and 
 raised a small crop of potatoes, and have steadily increased my acre- 
 age every year until the present year, 1912, I am putting out sixty 
 acres in potatoes and have 13? acres in other crops. I have pur- 
 chased 311 acres more land, ten head of horses and over $1,000.00" 
 
J. GREEN NORDIN. 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Ruisisellville, Ark. 7< 
 
 worth of farm machinery. Some of it is not yet all paid for, but I 
 hope to get rid of all indebtedness this season . I have also erected 
 three potato houses at a cost of $1,300.00, besiides several other 
 buildings, including one dwelling tenant house, and have made ovef 
 $1,000.00 worth of improvements in the way cl" clearing an I fenc- 
 ing land. 
 
 So anyone can Aee at a glance that there is good money to be 
 
 made in raising sweet potatoes, under the right system of growing, 
 keekeeping and marketing. 
 
 1 had never thought of writing this book until in February'. 12 12, 
 when I began to receive a great number of inquiries concerning the 
 keeping of potatoes, as the result of newspaper interviews that had 
 been published concerning my methods and success. Not having time 
 to answer all these inquiries and give everyone an outline, I decided 
 to write this book, making everything as plain as possible, and much 
 more thorough than could have been attempted in personal letters. 
 The price of the book, compared with the information that it gives, 
 is as nothing. While the price is small, it is the only way in which I 
 can give this information to those desiring it, and the sale of the same 
 will reimburse me for the time and expense of publishing it. If I 
 were .able, I would gladly give it to all. 
 
 If there is any point on which the reader wants more information, 
 or which he does mot understand, enclose stamp and I will try to 
 make it plain. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 J. G. NORDIN, 
 
 Russellville, Ark. 
 
3fc 
 
 
 2*1 
 
 ! I 
 
 *£*;'• 
 i «».' 
 
 y 
 
 Transplanter at work Putting out Slips. 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Rusisellviile, Ark. 
 
 Selection of Seed for Bedding. 
 
 In selecting seed, always be sure to get sound potatoes. If pois 1 - 
 ■sible, get them grown on different kind of soil from that on which 
 you intend to plant, as potatoes grown on deep, sandy, bottom sail, 
 make better seed for up-lamd, as they are always long and have a 
 tendency to produce longer potatoes on up-kind The longer sweet 
 
 potatoes are, the better sample they make, if they have plenty of size. 
 Likewise, seed from up- land is better for planting in bottom land, as it 
 tends to make large potatoes and not too long. I find it best to 
 •change seed every third year, if not oftener. 
 
 As to the size of potatoes for bedding, some prefer large, while 
 others select small. In my ten years' experience I have found that, 
 everything considered, size is of but little importance. The more 
 surface you have, the more room you have for plants; and of course 
 there is moiv surface on a bushel of small potatoes than on a bushel 
 of large ones. If you are bedding on a hot-bed, you will find that 
 small potatoes will sprout quicker than large ones, although large 
 seed will make thriftier plants than small ones. But I do not think 
 the plants from the larger seed grow off any faster. 
 
 If you ore bedding just plain bed, the small potatoes will go 
 much further than large ones, and will "slip" quicker and oftener. 
 1 % bushels of small potatoes will cover as large a plot of ground as 
 two bushels of larger o;; 
 
 In selecting seed, be sure they are free from all diseases, such 
 as are described in the last article of this book. If you have a 
 diseased potato to start with, it will be sure to show up on you lat- 
 er in a way that is sure to cost, as the disease is carried into the 
 plants, ant of course into your next crop of potatoes,, and it may cause 
 you to lose a whole crop. 
 
 Time for Bedding. 
 
 • The best time for bedding varies in two vir.ys, depending upon the 
 manner in which you bed, and the - locality you are in. 
 
 If the bed is to be made a hot bed, the seed may be bedded as 
 soon as safe from freezing and frost killing plaints. In this section 
 of Arkansas about the 15th of March is as early as it is advisable to' 
 make a hot-bed, for if you ,get plants up, they would be of no use, as 
 frost would be sure to kill them down. And plants bitten down by 
 frost are worse than no plants at all, for they will sprout out at top 
 • of ground on the old stub, making no root at all, and while the old 
 
By J. Green, Nordin, R'Ujsisellville, Ark. 11. 
 
 stub is on. the potato, it wil.l not sprout again. So it is not best to 
 try to bed too early, hot-bed or not. Furthermore, early bedding' is 
 likely to rot the potatoes, probably causing tine loss of a crop. 
 
 For common beds, April 1st is early enough. If you put them in 
 the ground too early they are almost sure to rot, as ,sweet potatoes 
 positively cannot stand cold weather. I have seen some exceptions 
 where they could have been bedded earlier. 
 
 Making Small Hot-Bids. 
 
 Making hot-beds is very easy where there lis only a few bushels 
 to be bedded — ten bushels or less. There are various ways of making 
 the hot-bed. About the least expensive is made from stable ma- 
 nure, or any manure that has not been mould* d or wet. It must be of 
 a nature that when you move it it will heat. Another satisfactory sys- 
 tem that I often saw used when a boy, was to use cotton seed, pack- 
 ing the seed clown tightly and burning with hot water. Green pine 
 straw is good, and really I believe will hold heat lionger than any- 
 thing. Most anything can be used that will go through to a heat 
 after being packed down and wet. 
 
 The system most generally used for hot-beds is to remove' dirt 
 about ten inches deep, then place dry manure (or whaetver is to be 
 used) about four to six inches thick, packing down tight and wetting 
 through. Then cover about two or three inches with rich dirt. Then 
 place potatoes as close together as they will ! ; e in the bed wirhout 
 touching, and cover with about 2% inches of rich soil as can be got- 
 ten. If available in no other way, take the dirt which you have taken 
 from the ground in preparing for the bed, arc; mix with manure. Af- 
 ter bed is finished, keep covered if rain is threatened, as a cold rain 
 would be sure to rot the potatoes, for the manure will get very warm 
 when wet. A good, long themometeir should be p la iced in bed with 
 the bulb on a level with the potatoes and the top extending up out 
 of the soil. When potatoes begin to get dry, water should be warm- 
 ed up to the same temperature of the bed, or a little above, and the 
 bed moistened. If weatheir should turn very cold, bed should be cov- 
 ered with old sacks; or something to exclude the cold air. A hot-bed 
 will not sitand cold weather or rain, and a sudden change will ruin 
 the potatoes. Amount of water to be put on bed varies according 
 to weather conditions. With damp, cloudy weathej after the bed has 
 been wet through, it does not need to be watered, as too much water 
 at the wrong time is injurious. But when the sun is shining warm 
 and you do not have cold nights, you can hardly get too much 
 water on the bed. 
 
 Then after, each time of drawing off t' e slips, the bed should be 
 watered to settle the dirt back to the potatoes, for pulling off the 
 elips generally pulls them out of place. 
 
* N ..;-? 
 
 ■ 
 
 ^••ms&^Ji &&*$*« 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 13, 
 
 For Bedding in Large Quantities. 
 
 The best and cheapest method of bedding a large quantity, say 
 ten bushels ©*■ more, is simply to make the ground rich as possible iin 
 January, by breaking your bed ten or twelve inches deep and mixing 
 manure with the soil thoroughly. It does not matter if it is one-third 
 manure — only the better. In this section, from Miarch 25 to April 
 5 is the best time to bed in this way. After having been prepared in 
 January as slated above, when you are ready to bed out potatoes the 
 ground should be coated with well pulverized manure and broke to a 
 depth of about six inches. Then take off about three inches of dirt. 
 Dig up and pulverize good to another depth of about three inches, and 
 place (he potatoes as in a hot bed, so as not to touch each other, 
 and cover with the first dirt taken off, smoothing the bed nicely. Them 
 keep watered well, except in cold, cloudy weather. At no time will a 
 bed prepared in this way have to be covered from rain, as there i© 
 morning in it to cause heat when wet. While a cold rain does the po- 
 tatoes no s,ood. yet there is no danger of rotting, as in the hot-bed. 
 
 Beds prepared as above, except in a very cold April, will be 
 covered with plants by the first of May. They will then. .sprout again 
 after May Jst as quicltly as any hot bed, and does not take as- 
 
 much water. After pulling plants, be sure to water at once, so as- to 
 set dirt back to potatoes. Then water successively every other day 
 until rain comes, for they cannot get water too often after May 1st, 
 unless the weather is very cloudy and cool. 
 
 If the grower has: a reservoir or tank lo water from, it helps 
 greatly to use laundry soap. This may seem expensive, but it is cheap 
 compared with the results you get. Soap may be secured very cheaply 
 if bought in barrel quantities, like the laundries use. 
 
 In arranging beds, they should not be made more than ten or 
 eleven feet wide, but may be as long as desired. Something should be 
 placed on either side of the bed to keep it from washing down. The 
 plankis or whatever is used on the sides as a curb should be elevated 
 enough to hold a ladder twelve feet long, which may be placed across 
 the bed and used to wialk on when pulling off plants or weeding the 
 bed. 
 
 In locating the bed, it should always be where the isiun can shine 
 on it all day. If the bed cannot be entirely free from shade, it is 
 best that the ghade be on the bed in the evening. Water beds late in 
 the afternoon or at night, so as not to isiqald or bake. When the sun 
 comes up the next day the water will be settled down so that there is 
 but little if any danger of scalding the plants. Plants scalded do 
 not start to growing as well as if not scalded. If watered in the 
 morning when the weather is not cloudy, the plants will scald, and it' 
 the plants are not up the ground will bake. 
 
 For Larger Ho* r Bed. 
 
 The best plan to make hot-ibeds on a large scale is as follows; 
 
14. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow, and Keep It. 
 
 They can be made cheap or they can; be made expensive, but they 
 will' last longer if made as outlined below: 
 
 Prepare the bed same as for common beds described above. 
 Them commence oil one side and dig a trench 12 to 14 inches deep 
 the full 'ength of the bed. Turn at the end and come back 20 to 24 
 inches from the first trench, and so on, digging the parallel trenches 
 until the bed is covered. Put into these trenches 1 V 2 inch piping, 
 commencing at. one side and following the trenches until all the 
 trenches are taken up. Connect one end of the pipe iinto the tank, and 
 the other to pump and from pump back to tank. The tank may be 
 made of lumber. Small pipes should be run frolm tank to furnace, 
 where water can be heated and then pumped through the pipes under 
 the bed. In this way the bed can be kept at any temperature de- 
 sired, governing the water and bed by thermometer. 
 
 This Oed should be prepared so ias to be covered during cold 
 rains, as too sudden a change would rot the potatoes. A bed as de- 
 scribed above wiill not prove very costly, as tin,' tank may be made of 
 wood, and a common thresher pump may be used, with a small gaso- 
 line engine to operate the pump. The piping is the most expensive 
 item. But thl. system is well worth while, as it' is far more reliable 
 than any other and does not depend upon unfavorable weather con- 
 ditions. 
 » 
 
 Selection and Preparation of Land. 
 
 The proper selection of land is a very essential feature in the 
 successful growing of sweet potatoes. Most any loamy up-land will 
 make good potatoes. Clay subsoil is also good for them. Sandy bottom 
 land, when n;ot too rich, or made land is the best that can be had. 
 Poor isandy bottom land, fertilized, as also' fine. 
 
 The preparation of the land is aliso most important. Not later 
 than the first of February the land should be cleaned of all trash. 
 Subsoiling is fine if dene in January or February, but not advisable 
 if done later than March 1. 
 
 Break the land as early as possible. Upland should be broken 5 
 to 7 inches deep; 'bottom land 7 to 10 inches deep. If land is sub- 
 soiled, go as deep as four 1000-pound mults can pull in bottom land, 
 and two mules in upland, with a regular subsoiler. This may seem 
 very deep to some, but it is best. 
 
 After preparing soil as above, keep it in gocdi state of cultiva- 
 tion, harrowing and disoiing as often as is needed until plants begin 
 to come on the bed. Then ridge the ground tor (the plants, preparing 
 enough ground to care for what plants will be secured at the first 
 pulling-off, allowing ahout 7,500 plants to the acre. If you are to 
 use a trauspla niter, do not prepare your ground into ridges until you 
 
By J. Green Nordin, RJussellville, Ark. 15, 
 
 are ready to transplant. (Andi right here I wish to say that the 
 Fuller & Johnson Bern is Transplanter, of Madison, Wis., is fine, and 
 cannot be excelled.) RMgee dry out more than level soil doeis. The 
 trans plan tier waters the plant as it is set, and i would advise anyone 
 who is raising as much asi two acres or more of potatoes to purchase 
 a transplanter. On that acreage it will almost save its cost in one 
 season. Besides, you can ■ set cabbage, tomatoes or anything that is 
 to be transplanted, with it. 
 
 In selecting land suitable for raising sweet potatoes, if the 
 planter is not prepared to analyze his soil, it may be sent to any 
 State University, where it will be analyzed. Or any fertilizer manu- 
 facturer will gladly do it for a small sum. Always' select land that 
 will drain, either naturally or by absorption. Land that is wet na- 
 tured (crumpish, as some call it) is all right if it will drain itself, but 
 if it is level it is no good, and might iciause rot before potatoes ma- 
 ture. Of course this kind of soil does not give the production thait 
 better land does. 
 
 In preparing ridges' the width should vary according to fertility 
 of the soil. Good bottom land should be: 3 feet and 9 inches to 4 
 feet wide. Some land will bear rows as close as 2 feet and 10 inches, 
 but this 1 is not best. Better results are obtained from Wide ridges 
 than from close ones. 
 
 Method and Time of Transplanting. 
 
 Transplanting can be done in this section of Arkansas as early 
 as the slips can be grown, and as late as July 25, and make some 
 potatoes, but about June 20th is as late as they can successfully be set 
 and depended upon to make potatoes large enough for eating purposes. 
 Of course in extremely favorable seasons they may do well planted lat- 
 er. The latest I have ever set was on August 8. in 1903, when I 
 made a few seed potatoes, but very few. The latest to make good po- 
 tatoes was planted July 16, 1906, and made some large enoiuigh for 
 eating purposes. I do not approve of setting later than June 20, 
 unless one has ground set aside for potatoes and has nothing else to 
 plant on it. 
 
 There are several conditions under which plants are set. The 
 best way, and under which plants start to growing quicker, is to have 
 land in fine state of cultivation put into ridges as soon after rain as 
 can be plowed (not too wet), set out and watered. The wet ground 
 should, then be covered with fresh earth to prevent baking or crusting. 
 Plants may be set by hand, but this is very slow work and hard on 
 the hands, and the plants do not grow well. They may be dropped 
 with root-end in a straight lime on the ridges and pushed down with 
 forked sticks. Push plants down as far as they will go without push- 
 ing the buds under. Pack dirt firmly around the roots and fill hole 
 up. with dirt. 
 
 The above system is the way in which I have put most all of my 
 
By J. Green Noir&in, Russisllville, Ark. 17. 
 
 previous crops, having my ground prepared and following above plan 
 after a raiu sufficient to wet the ground. However, they do not grow 
 off as well as under other systems of transplanting. 
 
 As to tra noplantieTis, I have never used one until this 1 season.. I 
 find they save considerable time, and leave the plants in a much bet- 
 ion for cultivation, ais th y are in a straight line and may 
 be plowed without using a scraper. Using a transplanter also makes 
 a difference in the gn plants.. As pn viously stated, plants 
 
 set and w« dig quicker, which of course means more 
 
 POt Hi 
 
 In mting, ts if i/t can be avoid- 
 
 ed, as it tend i top growth. 
 
 If -short cv pla] diem S to 10 
 
 inches long and put all in the ground butt 2 to r well 
 
 at bottom and fill around 
 
 Impw riuv; Variety of Seed. 
 
 If variety of potatoes are to be improvi ' [s (he 
 
 way to do it. I id bed them separately 
 
 from your regular crop. Pull I plants as soon as they appear, 
 
 ■so as to get them onto!' the way. The.- and 
 
 transp] m in your improvement patch. Cultivate quickly, 
 
 to get a owtb of vines. If you war.' to grow short, large po- 
 
 tatoes, get your cuttings from the shortest v'neis. If long, slim potatoes 
 are d utf from the longest vines, and .set as above. Repeat 
 
 the -above year after year. Potatoes can be grown as desired as to size 
 and shape. 
 
 A few words about mixing the different varieties. Some claim 
 weet po a.tc s can be mixed, but I have never seen it i-ntha' 
 yet. I have been on; the constant lookout for anything that might 
 prove to be of any advancement to potatoes, and have found no 
 that tends to show where they would possibly mix, unless M was from 
 the blooms*. Some may not be aware of the fact that sweet potatoes 
 "bloom. And they do not. bloom very often. I have hunted a 
 acre for them, and have never seen but threa oi four blooms in my 
 life. 
 
 Now, could it b9 possible for them to mix through the bloom? It 
 would be ver^ o got the blooms frcim two varieties tog 
 
 for all who know anything about mixing different varieties of any- 
 thing know that it has to be at a certain stage to get the propter re- 
 sults. With the blooms so rare asi they are on sweet potatoes, this 
 would be very hard. It is: my opinion that sweet potatoes do> not mix, 
 and in all my observation I have found nothing that proved that 
 they will mix. 
 
 Using the Transplanter. 
 
 A few more words in regard to transplanter. Since writing the 
 above on transplanting I have used a transplanter extensively, and 
 
The Sweet Potato — How to Grow; and Keep It. 
 
 find that a potato grower can profit greatly by using them. They 
 help out so much in the cultivation afterward. 
 
 I will give a short system which I find iis good to use .in this 
 connection. Prepare ground the same as for transplanting by hand. 
 Instead of making it into ridgeis, simply take a cultivator disc and 
 turn the discs together — that is, so they will throw the dart together. 
 Make as high a ridge as possible with the disc. Go over this ridge af- 
 ter every rain if possible, pullimg the ridges up higher each time, 
 killing all grass and weeds that may have come up, if any. Keep up 
 this system until your crop is all transplanted. In case there is ex- 
 cessive rains and nidgesi become hard and bed is backward it might 
 be necessary to re-ridge potatoes. This gives a good plaint 
 
 bed, keeping it free of foulness and making it much easier to cul- 
 tivate, as they are in a straight row and in good shape. That is, 
 they are standing up straight. 
 
 In buying a transplanter, I would advise the Beeimis, manufac- 
 tured by Fullei & Johnson, Madison, Wis. I find theirs to be a fine 
 piece of farm machinery and does the work to perfection. The two cutis 
 in this book are from the Beemis transplanter at work. With this im- 
 plement you can set anything that is to be transplanted — sweet po- 
 tatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries or other plants. 
 
 Cultivation. 
 
 NO. I. 
 
 The cultivation of sweet potatoes depends mere upon fertility of 
 soil, growth of vegetation and rainfall, than upon anything else. Most 
 of the expense of cultivation should be for work done in preparation 
 of the soil before potatoes are transplanted. If the land is properly 
 prepared and well pulverized' before transplanting, the • crop will 
 need but little cultivation further than to keep down foulness, unless 
 hard, packing rains come. And right here I wish to state that most 
 any land that will grow* sweet potatoes will surely grow crab grass, 
 good and plenty. 
 
 The first cultivation I give my potatoes- is to scrape them very 
 shallow as soon as I get rain after transplanting. Then hoe all grass 
 and weed out that may have come up, filling up holes around the 
 plants that may not have been filled in transplanting, for in case 
 it should rain after transplanting before cultivating these holes, 
 
 fill with water and bake,. Then plow with as large sweeps as they 
 will bear, say 18 to 22 inches. Then I do rot bother them any 
 more until they begin to vine (unless I have a vine less potato, 
 which takes more cultivation.) 
 
 I then take and hoe and out all weeds that may have come since 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russell lvi lie, Ark. 19. 
 
 the last cultivation on top of drill and on the .sides of ridges, turning 
 the vines all one way and leaving the middle open. I then plow with 
 a 24-iinch sweep or larger plow, if need be' going three times to each 
 middle that is open — in other words, every other middle, leaving the 
 vines in each alternating middle, which is not plowed at thisi time. 
 After a week or ten days I throw the vines into the middle that was 
 plowed before, leaving the other side of the row open, and plow it 
 the same ais the first, three furrows to each middle, with same size 
 plow as used at first. This makes' a good sized ridge. And bear in 
 mind that the higher the ridge at laying-by time, the more potatoes 
 at harvest time. 
 
 NO. II. 
 
 I give this mode of cultivation (No. 2) for the benefit of some 
 people who like to tear the ridge down to start wliith and then build 
 back with cultivation. This plan would be a success in case of a 
 very dry season, as the tearing down and building back would, tend to 
 conserve the moisture and make the potatoes grow in dry weather. 
 But' in> case oi' a very wet season, which we sometimes have here in 
 Arkansas, it would tend to make the vines grow so fast that one 
 would have no chance to work them more than once. They ■ would be 
 too long for any success in cultivating a second time. Turning the 
 vines a second time, especially if they are large, is very injurious. 
 And without a second cultivation you will get nc ridge to them, and 
 too low a ridge at laying-by is sure to mean a short crop as compared 
 to a higher nidge. So my advice is always to keep the ridge as 
 high ai 'possible, especially at last cultivation. 
 
 Keep the soil in good state of cultivation before transplanting 
 and you will have no trouble in keeping moisture afterward. Your 
 only trouble will be to keep down the weeds and grass, wiiich are 
 sure to come if the soil is at all adapted to potatoes. 
 
 In giving a system for cultivation with low ridges — Take cul- 
 tivator and any scraper adapted to their use and scrape very deep 
 and close. Hce out all grasises and weeds, it" any, and then plow with 
 small plow, something like a 14-inch sweep. Continue this every six 
 to ten days until the vines get too long for plowing. 
 
 Where a transplanter has been used the cultivation will be 
 found much easier than if transplanted by hand, as the plants are 
 more regular and in a straight Line, which insures closer work, so 
 you can get all weeds and grass that come up while plants are small 
 and tender. 
 
 You can then plow with small or large plows, as you Like. 
 
 After potatoes that have been put out with a transplanter, I 
 alw-ays use a 16-inch sweep to begin with and follow up with about 
 a 2 0-inch iswcep. In that case you will have to plow them three 
 times at least, buit only having to turn the vines one time. You will 
 never have to use the hoe at all, as you can keep all grass and 
 
20. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow and Keep It. 
 
 weeds down with the plow. But under this method you will have to 
 turn the vines at laying^by time, as no .ground that will make good 
 sweet potatoes can be laid by with vines short enough to plow with- 
 out them getting so grassy or weedy that they could not be dug with 
 any satisfaction. Also, it would cut the production, down considera- 
 bly, and as production is what you are growing the potatoes tor, you 
 want all you can make. 
 
 The Potato House. 
 
 The potato house is the most important thing in the potato indus- 
 try, asi this ic the place in which they are stored until suitable time 
 for selling, but no potato house will keep potatoes within itself, 
 wilt bout outside assistance. Lots of people think that if 
 
 you can keep sweet potatoes from freezing, that is all that is needed 
 to keep them. That system may prove all right some years. But 
 
 merely to keep them from freezing and rotting is not sufficient, es- 
 peaially if you are to ship your ptatoes, as without proper treat- 
 ment they will be juicy and full of water, and they are easily 
 skinned and bruised when moved, and rot quickly. They will not 
 stand the change of air from cellar to open air. 
 
 There are several systems by which you can keep sweet potatoes 
 from freezing, and probably keep them through so th*it some of 
 them will sprout in the spring. But most of these methods do not 
 give the results they o'ught to, for as costly as sweet potatoes are in 
 the spring, they ought every one to sprout. After making all the 
 potatoes you can, the next thing is to kesp every one of them, for all 
 that rot are a total loss — and a very expensive loss, as the cost of 
 producing is thrown away. 
 
 I will give a few: of the systems I have seen used, with which 
 I suppose most people are more or less familiar. The one perhaps 
 used imore than any other is a cellar du,g out under the house or some 
 building, and usually drained to lower ground by a ditch. It has 
 been my observation that at least 50 per cent cf the potatoes cared 
 for in this way rot. The rest are hardly ever marketable potatoes, 
 as they are stained by the rotten potatoes with which they have 
 come in contact. Often part of th.3 rotten potatoes are stulck to the 
 sound ones and dried. And even though the potatoes may be sound 
 and good looking, they will not stand shipping, as sudden changes 
 cause them to rot rapidly, and, as stated before, they are easily skin- 
 ned and bruised. 
 
 Some use a stove in their cellar to keep potatoes from freezing 
 during cold weather. But this is no good, as the potatoes cannot get 
 air in an underground system, and if you take air away from sweet 
 potatoes in cold weather they will not ship, as they will go down 
 
By J. Green Non-din., Russellviile, Ark. 21. 
 
 (rot) when ibey do get air. When put in cellars and processed right 
 they will keep better than with any of the old systems, but they will 
 not be in as perfect condition as if housed above ground. 
 
 Then I have seen them put in hills — that is, piled up on the 
 groundi, with straw, grass, corn stalks, brush cr something of the 
 kind under them and spread over them, and then covered with dirt 
 to a depth of 4 to 10 inches. This will keep them some winters, and 
 they are fairly good if used fresh when first taken out oif the hill. 
 But they will not bear shipping at all, as ihey will generally rot in 
 from 24 to 72 hours. 
 
 For strictly home use, putting up in dry sandi is very good and 
 will answer where there is no means of building a house, if sand is 
 available, it is a very cheap method. To put up in this way, put 
 the potatoes in some shed, where they will keep dry. Mix the sand 
 all the way through the potatoes, and be surs to cover deep enough 
 to prevent freezing. They will keep just as they were when dug, and 
 taste the same. They can be sold to local markets, but potatoes kept 
 under this plan will not ship any distance. They will not stand up 
 long, and will hardly keep as long as when fresh dug. 
 
 None of the above plans are good, and to rely upon them at all 
 is very costly experience, as one is always in doubt as to> whether 
 his potatoes are going to keep or mot. After growing and dig- 
 ging a crop, it is no sane policy to let them ruin through care- 
 lessness or by trying to save the expense of a properly constructed 
 house. 
 
 Keeping sweet potatoes is a very simple matter after one has 
 become accustomed to their requirements. It takes all the year and 
 four months of another year to complete a crop. In other words, four 
 months of on;- crop is connected with the previous crop. 
 
 Properly Built Potato House. 
 
 In describing properly built potato house, I will first give an 
 outline of how they must be built to prevent the potatoes from freez- 
 ing, and tc keep them air tight when so desired. 
 
 Houses can be built of different materials, such as brick, stone, 
 concrete or lumber. I prefer lumber, as it is by far the cheapest 
 of any. Brick, stone or concrete walls have to be built so they will 
 not sweat on the inside, or lined with lumber to prevent dampness 
 from coming in contact with potatoes, for dampness is sure to cause 
 them to rot. This is very expensive, for any of the brick, stone of 
 concrete Louses, if not built with air spaces, would soon rot out the 
 lumber lining. 
 
 The thickness of the walls onust be determined by the material 
 used. If bricK, stone or concrete, for a house 20x20 feet, 12-inch 
 walls will be sufficient. If house is 'to be larger, say 2 0x4 feet, the 
 walls should be 12 or 14 inches thick, for the larger the house, the 
 harder to keep warm. (The above is from actual experience, as I 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russell villa, Ark. 23< 
 
 have the two sizes on my farm, as shown by pictures elsewhere in this 
 book.) 
 
 For houses constructed of lumber the thickness of walls should 
 be as follows: 
 
 For house 20x20 feet, walls should be 12 inches thick. 
 
 For linage 20x40 feet, walls should be 12 to 16 inches. 
 
 Above specifications are for this section and temperature. Fur- 
 ther north the walls would have to be considerably thicker to resist 
 the cold. Above thicknesses are for inside measurements, or for the 
 space between the walls that is to be filled with sawdust or whatever 
 fining is to be used. 
 
 In building a potato house the foundation is essential, and; must 
 be of brick, stone or concrete, concrete being the best. Foundation 
 can be built in different ways. For the location of potato house, I 
 would advise the side of a hill or slope if possible, so that one side 
 of the foundation may be raised to the level of your wagon box for 
 convenience in loading. The opposite side of course will not have to be 
 built up high, thus saving considerable expense in building. The foun- 
 dation then wants to be filled! to' a level with top of foundation, and 
 covered with stone, concrete or brick, so as to keep rats and mice 
 from scratching dirt up in piles under the bins or shelves, which cuts 
 off ventilation and causes the potatoes to> rot. If stone floor is used, 
 I would advise covering with clay to a depth of 1, 2 or 3 inches. If 
 concrete or brick, loose dirt of any kind will do This covering is to 
 prevent dampness, which will be sure to rise if not prevented. 
 
 It may seem expensive to some to go to this expense for founda- 
 tion, but it saves quite a lot of trouble and expense afterward and will 
 be found money well spent. Being elevated, it makes the loading and 
 unloading so much easier, as your waigon is on a level with the floor. 
 It alsoi prevents damage by rats, which is sure to be great if not 
 avoided against. 
 
 For a frame or lumber building, after preparing the foundation 
 in the above way, oak sills should be used. If house is 20x20, sills 
 should be 4x12 Inches, 20 feet long. If 20x40 foot house, sills should 
 4xll, 20 feet long. These should be put down on fresh concrete, so 
 as to be air tight, and well fastened together ai the corners so as to 
 make them hold together. Then the studding should be set. 
 
 Studding may be full width of thickness of ".vali ; but is very expen- 
 sive, I us q 2x4 oak studding, as they last much longer than pine. 
 Studding should be out 12 feet long for outside and 10 feet for inside. 
 Nail web to sills and tie together every two feet to top of wall, so as 
 to keep thean from spreading when wall is filled. Put your plate on 
 inside studding, and then place your joists on top of inside stud- 
 ding or plate rail. This leaves space on top of loft to put about 
 16 inches of sawdust or whatever is used for filling. The floor on top 
 of joists wants to be perfectly tight, so as to let no air escape. If 
 the top and walls are filled with sawdust, it is well to have all walls, 
 
DIAGRAM A. 
 
 Boor 
 
 Door 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bin g 
 
 f.'., ft. 
 
 1 
 
 
 Floor plan for house 20x20 feet — (Scale — 6 feet per inch) 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 2 5. 
 
 as well as flooring overhead, very tight, or the sawdust will sift 
 
 through. 
 
 In setting the outside studding, they have to be set in about two 
 inches, so lhat 2x4's may be nailed every three feet around the out- 
 side of the studding, to wihich the boxing is to be nailed. This gives 
 a straight line from sills to plate, making the 2x4 nailed to studding 
 come in line with the plate and giving five places to nail the boxing 
 to. Boxing for outside wall must be nailed; on perpendicular, other- 
 wise rain will blow in and wet the sawdust, rotting the entire build- 
 ing. The outside wall may be weatherboardeJ if desired,. Boxing 
 for the inside wall should be nailed horizontal so as to help brace 
 the building. Cracks in the inside walls will not haive to be stripped, 
 "but strips are necessary on outside walls. 
 
 In putting in; studding, be sure to put in braces for doors, for 
 the doors are very heavy and will soon swag down if not properly 
 braced. Places for doors will be shown in diagram for the two dif- 
 ferent size houses described herein. 
 
 Roofing .may be done in any way suitable to builder. I always 
 cover with galvanized iron. Any roofing that will not leak is good, 
 bult I would advise galvanized iron roofing altogether, as it is so 
 much safer from fire and is generally much cheaper than a shingle 
 roof. 
 
 Doors anfl Air Holes. .. I.* 
 
 Doors should be 3x7 feet. In setting t^e studding on either 
 side of door, it should be set flaring on one side so as the door 
 will shut up tight. The door should be eight inches thick, made of 
 lumber and filled with sawdust. Edges should be well padded to 
 insure the door being air tight when needed. 
 
 House 20x20 feet should have two doors and two air holes. 
 
 House 20x4 feet should have four doors and six air holes. 
 
 Air holes should be made as follows: 
 
 A hole .about 10 inches square should be cut in the loft, and a box 
 18 inches long by 12 inches square made and fastened to loft over 
 hole so as to keep sawdust from falling through. These should be 
 fixed so as to be closed during cold weather and in processing time. 
 A house 20x20 feet should have one air hole in opposite walls of the 
 house, or two holes in the lofit near the edge on opposite sides. 
 House 20x40 feet should have six air holes, one in each corner and 
 one midway on each side. 
 
 Remember these air holes must be made so as ito close ui> air 
 tight. A wad of old sacks crammed down in them is a very good 
 makeshift, but not the best. A lid miade with padded edges can be 
 used, fitting down over the sides of opening. By having this prepar- 
 ation there will not ibe so much danger of being caught in a oofd snap 
 with northing to stop the hole$ with. 
 
 The inside of the house will be explained by description and 
 diagram. 
 
DIAGRAM B. 
 
 
 
 3rd Bin - 
 
 00 
 
 
 C 
 
 •Jnrt Bin 
 
 
 1st Bin •" 
 
 OS 
 
 End View ot house 20x20 fete*. (Scale' — 6 feet per imch) 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 27. 
 
 Aisles and Bins. 
 
 The house 2 0x2 should have an aisle five feet wide. As the in- 
 side measurement of the house is: only 18x18, This leaves 13 feet for 
 shelves! or bins. There should be five studdiugs placed at equal distance 
 on each side of the aisle, with the bottoms put on siollid foundation and 
 the tops fastened to joists. These should be 2x\\ inches, 10 feet long, 
 of good sound pine or some so fit wood, as I 5 will have to be 
 
 drawn out during the shipping season. 
 
 From these studding to the walls on either side j> ;>ers 
 
 2x6 inches, 6% feet long. These should be oak. The first tier of 
 sleeper© may be placed on edge on the floor of the house and fasten- 
 ed by naili.ig one end to the situdd'inig and the ether to the wall. Floor 
 these sileepers with 1x3 inch strips, do> not nail them, placed one inch 
 apart, leaving a one-inch crack or opening between these strips or 
 narrow boa rue. Three feet above this floor or shelf place another set 
 of sleepers and floor like the first, being sure to brace well so asi not 
 to glive down when loaded with potato here wall be eons 
 
 able weight on them when loaded. My way of bracing is to nail 2x4 
 on studding, letting it extend from lower sleeper to sleeper above, 
 and the same way at the wall. This makes a good poet under each 
 tier of shelves. 
 
 Then build the third shelf or bin the same us second, which will 
 make it 6 feet from bottom bin, or 6 V 2 feet from floor of house. 
 
 Then fronts -of bins should be latticed with lx3'is, same as floor 
 of bins, using about five strips to each bin. This gives about 20 
 inches front for potatoes, which, when sloped back to 1 \' 2 to 2 feet 
 from front, will come up to> bottom of sleepers above, Raving plenh 
 of air space. 
 
 By following this system — six inches to start wirth en bottom 
 for sleepers, then each bin 3 feet deep, then putting 30 inches of po- 
 tatoes on the top bin, leaves a space of 12 inches between potatoes in 
 top bin an I the ceiling for air space. As each bin is. 36 fcieheisl deep, 
 potatoes want to be put only 3 inches deep. This leaves an air space 
 of 6 inches between bins, which is as little as they can do on. 
 
 Study diagram closely, paying close attention to all hi and 
 
 measurements. 
 
 The 20x10 house is on same plan in regard to height, of bins 
 and spacing, but the arrangement is different, as the leader will 
 observe by studying the diagram. 
 
 The strips for fronts of bins should have arms put on studding 
 (for shelves or bins) up near ceiling, so that the strips* may be piled 
 up on them when not in use, so as not to be lost when needed. Then 
 they can be taken down one at a time when digging. 
 
 Filliitg for Walls. 
 
 A few words about filling the walls: Sawdust, when obtainable, 
 is the best and cheapest for filling. But one thing to be guarded 
 
DIAGRAM C. 
 
 
 Aisle— 5 ft. wide 
 
 Door 
 
 Aisle— 5 ft. wide 
 
 Door 
 
 Bin 
 
 •>' .. ft . 
 
 Door 
 
 3 ft. 
 
 Floor plan for house 20x40 feet. (Scale — 6 feet per inch.) 
 
By J. Green Noirdin, RusseHviile, Ark. 29. 
 
 against carefully is to see that it is dry, or it. will rot the walls out 
 in a very short time. Sawdust put into walls wet never dries until 
 it rots. It forms itself into hard lumps and then draws apart (if it 
 has not rot lea the walls out by this time) and leaves air space, caus- 
 ing potatoes to get too cold if there is any freezing weather to be 
 guarded against. 
 
 I hlave found it expelnsive to repair walls after they have given 
 aw,ay. The rotting of the sawdust mot only rot's 'the walls also, but 
 will rot the studding and the sills, and cause your potatoes to over- 
 heat at the wrong time. 
 
 Cotton seed hulls are fine to fill walls with. They can be tamp- 
 ed in good find tight and the wal's will never have to be refilled, as 
 will be the ca,=e w;hen sawdust is used. Sawdust will shrink every 
 year, no< matter how dry. It shrinks about 5 per cent every year, and 
 the walls must be kept full at all tim.ss. If the builder is near a cot- 
 ton seed oil mail he can get refuse hulls very cheap, and then his 
 wall troubles are done. 
 
 Small or very fine shavings are good if put in tight. If shavings 
 are to be used as filler, walls Ishould be made a little thicker, as 
 they do< not exclude air as well as sawdust or hulls, as it does not 
 pack down as well. Another objection to stitavings, is that they give 
 too good a retreat for rats and mlice, causing trouble in that way. 
 
 Coal cinders make a good wall. If cinders are used the walls 
 should he braced heavily, as cinders are very heavy. I have seen cin- 
 ders used (not in potato houses) to fill walls with, and, they seem 
 to be very q<"'cd. If iut in dry they v 1 never rot the walls I know 
 of one house packed with cinders that has been standing sixteen 
 years, and it is still in good condition. 
 
 Another thing about finishing of house: If it is available, beat 
 
 u/p slate rock and put all around the house to a depth of five or six 
 inches, and for a distance from houlse of five or six fleet all around 
 the house This will greatly protect the wall from rotting at the 
 ground. This is especially advisable if the house is very close to 
 the ground. 
 
 Follow These Directions Carefully. 
 
 And, Mr. Readier, in building a potato house, bear in mind that 
 all those little precautions' must be observed, or it will take hard 
 money to pay for mistakes. I have bad them all, 'but have learned 
 them from experience, and some of them at a good, round price. But 
 you can avoid these by following my directions carefully, and using 
 plenty of caution. Too much caution cannot be exercised in preparing 
 your potato house. If your house is properly built and ventilated, 
 and instructions followed which will be given later on in this book, 
 there is no need of losing any potatoes, eveni though you be a be- 
 ginner in the business. But I would advise a ibeginner to go. at the 
 Dusiiness on a small scale until he is flamiilar with the principles of 
 "keeping potatoes. 
 

 CQ 
 i 
 
 O 
 
 K 
 o 
 
 o 
 
By J. Green Noirdin, Russellville, Ark. 31. 
 
 Cost of House. 
 
 The cost of house depends altogether upon the price of materials 
 and cost of labor. In some locations, where there is no lumber and 
 brick its cheap, as in some portions of Oklahoma and Kansas, it is 
 much cheaper (to build of brick than of lumber. But in most section® 
 of Arkansas lumber is cheaper tham anything else. I cian. grive almost to 
 a dollar what the two* model houses described herein will cost at a 
 stated price for lumber. The cost of foundation will vary according to 
 material available for itisi construction. In, some localities where rock 
 is available, the cost of getting it out is not so heavy as. having 
 to buy shaped stone, but to buy crushed stone, sand amd cement is 
 very expensive. But even this is cheaper than stone, wihene stone is 
 not to be gotten easily. . Concrete is very nice for foundation, and al- 
 so for the floor of house, but concrete floor inutsit /be covered wiiith 
 dirt deep enough to absorb moisture, and not make it damp, either. 
 
 As to cost, if built of lumber: There is no use to use expensive 
 carpenters, except a foreman to plan out building and carry out the 
 plans. Any person who can use saw and hammer oan do good work 
 on the potato house. 
 
 If foundation is built of stone, the cost of lime and sand will 
 vary according to shape of stone. If the stones are rough or uneven 
 it will take considerably more. 
 
 I will try to give a complete bill of lumber aind all other mate- 
 rials needed in the construction of both the 20x2 and the 2 0x4 
 house. 
 
 Lumber Bill for 20x20 Potato House. 
 
 Framing: — 
 
 4 pieces 4x12 — 20, sills 320 feet 
 
 4 6 pieces 2x4 — 12, outside studding 368 feet 
 
 40 pieces 2x4 — 10, inside studding 266 feet 
 
 8 pieces 2x4 — 20, plates 106 feet 
 
 80 feei 1x4, amy length, to tie studding 60 feet 
 
 1 pieces 2x6 — 20, joists 200 feet 
 
 220 feet 2x4, any length, stringers to nail boxing to 220 feet 
 
 22 pieces 2x4, rafters 205 feet 
 
 10 pieces 1x6 — 10, wind beams 50 feet 
 
 100 feet 1x3, any length, lathing 150 feet 
 
 Boxing for outside, inside, and overhead gables. — 
 
 80 pieces 1x2, outside boxing 960 feet 
 
 13 20 feet boxing, any width or lemgth, for inside and, overhead. 
 Overhead must be shiplapped, or strips will hare to be* added. to 
 bat cracks with. Outside boxing can te shiplapped if so desired and 
 save strips 
 For Shelving or Binls: 
 
 10 pieces 2x6 — 10, pine, studding for bins 100 feet 
 
3 2. The Sweet Potato — How to Growl and Keep It. 
 
 15 pieces 2x6 — 14, oak, cut once, sleepers for biin ....210 feet 
 
 140 pieces 1x3 — 18, floor for bins ' 630 feet 
 
 The lx.'; can. be any length, but are best full length if thisy can 
 bo had. If not, they can be used shorter length, but are very 
 
 troublesome and unhandy. 
 
 There may be some very few pieces of lumber needed that I 
 have not. named, but this lis practlcaly correct, as I have made out bill 
 for mere than twenty potato houses. Thlis gives me a chance to es- 
 timate cost very closely. 
 
 As seen above, 4,225 feet of lumber wi 1 ! be required for the 
 house, and 940 feet for shelving, making a total of 5,165 feet. At 
 $12.00 per thousand, this will make the total cost for lumber $61.98. 
 
 Lumber may cost moire in siome places, but in this vicinity it can 
 be bought for $12.0 at the sawmill. But whatever the price of 
 lumber, the total cost may be easily estimated. 
 
 Following is an estimate of other materials needed for roofing, 
 etc.: 
 
 Roofing if made of galvanized iron (which 1 would advise above 
 everything, because it is safer from fire and outlasts the painted 
 tron) om building 20x20, with 14 foot rafters, will require 606 square 
 feet, or six squares and 6 feet. At the prevailing price here of $3.75 
 per square, would cost $22.72. Fifty e°nts should be added for 
 nails. 
 
 If shingles are used for roof with 4-'ii:i2h courses, would take 
 5,500 shingles, which may be estimated at the price prevailiin,g in 
 youi locality. 
 
 140 trick will be required for flue, at a cost of about $1.75. 
 Flue plate and hangers will cost about $2.00. 
 
 Three set of 12-inch strap hinges for doors will cost 50c per pair, 
 or $1.50. 
 
 Be sure when haniging to insert good, sitout pieces to bang doors 
 to, for they will be very heavy and if not well supported will soon 
 begin to sag, causing a lot of trouble. 
 
 Nails for the entire building should not cose over $3.00, as fol- 
 lows: 40 lbs. 10 penny; 20 Ibis. 8 penny; 20 lbs. 20 penny; 20 lbs. 
 40 penny Total, 100 poulnds. 
 
 The buildier may use any priced stove desired, but cast stoves 
 are the best about No. 22 or No. 2 4 box heater being a good size. 
 Wood stoves are far best except at processing time, when a coal 
 stove is preferable. But coal stoves are not best except at pro- 
 cessing time, as it takes them too long to get hot, and often you 
 only want to warm the air a little. Sheet iron stoves are no good, 
 for keeping them hot so much during processing time burns them out 
 soon. And they rust badly on account of dampness. About one or two 
 seasons is as long as they will last. 
 
 Thermometers should be beside every door, which takes two at 
 a cost of about 20 cents each" for cheap ones. But it is beat to get good 
 ones, so they may be relied upon. 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 33. 
 
 . Complete Estimate of all Costs. 
 
 Lumber, about $65.00 
 
 Roofing 23.00 
 
 Brick 1.75 
 
 Flue plate anid Hangers 2.00 
 
 Hinges 1.50 
 
 Nails, 100 lbs „ 3.00 
 
 Total $96.25 
 
 For 20x40 Foot Potato House 
 
 Will not go into details on 20x4 houise, but will give' an es- 
 timate of cost, with an estimate of lumber required to construct siame. 
 From the diagram the builder can tell what shape *o arrange the bin®. 
 Of course in the larger house irt will take soime' moire material, more 
 shelving, and more expense for doors, etc. The inside of houise will be 
 entirely differenstly arranged. 
 
 The bins across ends of it he houise will be the same as (in 20x20 
 foot bouse, except thait the bins should be seven feett deep firom aisles 
 to wall. The aisles will be five feet wide, making a space of 12 
 feet from bin and aisles on either end, or 24 feet altogether, thus 
 leaving 14 feet space between the aisles. Then a bin 14 feet long 
 should extend along either iside of the house, lengthwise, from alaie 
 to aisle. These bins should, be 6V 2 feed deep, and will leave a 
 center aisle 4 % feet wide lengthwise of house, connecting with the 
 aisle on either end. 
 
 By building this way it gives plenty of air space and room for 
 sacking and crating for shipping. You will recelive lots of orders 
 when it is too cold to have doors open, and in that ease you must 
 positivelly have room or you cannot iflill anything like a. car load at a 
 time without taking some out, which must be prevented df possible. 
 
 In estimating cost of building I "nave not estimated, cost of la- 
 bor, for the price of labor varies in different localities, and as stated 
 before, a foreman is the only high-priced labor that is needed. 
 
 . Following is the materials needed for 20x40 house: 
 Framing: — 
 
 6 pieces 4x12 — 20, sills 480 feet 
 
 64 piexes 4x12 — 12, outside studding 512 feet 
 
 60 pieces 2x4 — 10, inside studding 340 feeit 
 
 16 pieces 2x4 — 20, for plates 213 feet 
 
 20 pieces 2x6 — 20, joists ' 400 feet 
 
 160 feet 1x4, any length, to tie sltud ding 160 feet 
 
 440 feet 2x4, any length, stringers 440 feet 
 
 44 pieces 2x4 — 14, rafters . . v . . . • 410 feet 
 
 22 pieces 1x6 — 10, wind beans 110 feet 
 
 300 feet 1x3, any length, lathing 300 feet 
 
 Boxing: — 
 
 120 pieces 1x12, outside boxing .. .. 1440 feet 
 
34. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow; and Keep It. 
 
 1320 feet, any length or wjdth, inside boxing and overheaded ga- 
 bles. 
 For SheHving or Bins: — 
 
 26 pieces 2x6 — 10, stealing foir bins 260 feet 
 
 40 pieces 2x6 — 14, oak, sleepers for bins 560 feet 
 
 156 pieces 1x3—18, flooring for end bins 702 feet 
 
 150 pieces 1x3 — 14, flooring for side bins 525 feet 
 
 The material for sleepers aire given 14 feet long. They are to be 
 cut amid two sleepers made from each timber. 
 
 If 1x3 cannot be bad full length, they can be made up of short- 
 er lengths, 
 
 This gives /a total of 8,172 feet of lumber to complete the house, 
 as 'nearly as can be estimated. 
 
 It will take nearly 12 squares of roofing and at $3.75 per square 
 the roofing will cost $45.00. 
 
 Other materials needed are asfollows: 
 
 Brick $1.75 
 
 Flue plate and hangers 2.00 
 
 Hinges 3.00 
 
 Nails 5.00 
 
 Lumber, at $12.00 per thousand feet 98.06 
 
 Roofing 45.00 
 
 Total $154.81 
 
 It does not take much larger stove for the larger house than for 
 the small one. 
 
 The.-v estimates on construction! are about as near as can be put 
 on paper, as I don't suppose' anyone has built more potato houses or 
 made out more bills for them than I have. I have taken into consid- 
 eration the prices for material prevailing in tliis locality. In some 
 places it may be had cheaper, while in others it may cost more. 
 While the builder wants to save all the expenses he can, the vital 
 point ite to get everything right, even though it does cost a little 
 ais it is better to save potatoes after they are made and 
 housiod tham to lose them by trying to save a few dollars in cost of 
 house. 
 
 Digging Potatoes. 
 
 Digging potatoes is a job which most everyone dreads, but if 
 done on 1 a system planned out ahead it will not prove such a task. 
 
 There are various methods o>f digging, some claiming one way the 
 best and some another. But there- is one thing that must be guarded 
 against under any method, and; that is the shinning or bruising of po- 
 tatoes. They positively will not stand bruising. They must be han- 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russell viile, Ark. 35. 
 
 died very earafulily in taking them out of tha ground and afterward. 
 
 Since. I commenced naifikng potatoes en a large scale and keep- 
 ing them in potato houses, I have used a 10-inch middle buster to 
 plow them up with. This is very expensive, as you have to plow deep 
 enoulgh not to cut any of 'the potatoes or shinn or bruise them. This 
 deep plowing of coiursie covers' up tots of potatoes which must he 
 
 scratched our by hand. To scratch them out with rake or cither im- 
 plement wo.nkl scratch anid bruise them and put them in bed condi- 
 tion for keeping, thus losing mora than you save to cost o'f digging. 
 
 The system I use is as. follows: 
 
 I have boxes or crates in which to handle the potatoes, made 
 as follows: End pieces are cut 12 inches long,' from %.xl 2-Jimch oak 
 lumber, making ends 12x12, Sides and bottom are % incheis th'ilck and 
 16y 2 inches long. These crates hold .about one bushel. It figures a 
 little more than a bushed in cubic inches, but in digging you some- 
 times faliil to get them full on account of dint sticking to them. 
 
 Right here I wish to say that the grower phoulid have all era 
 and his house put in reladiiirjc£Si during the summer, when he has 
 plenty of time to clean up his house, for alt is sure to get very dirty 
 
 diurimg the shipping sear-en ; and repair all craves thait become bursted 
 or sides broken so as to Have them ready when the busy -oims' 
 
 on. 
 
 Also havo bolst-r springs for all wagons used in fci 
 
 from field to house, so as to avoid bruising. 
 
 If the vines are large when all things arc in readiness for digging 
 which they are sure to be if the sea gocu en potatoes, I 
 
 some small plow to drag them off with. The \incs can be cut s 
 with a hoe, but this is very slow and is not advisable un,l 
 vines arc wanted for feed. They are very fine for fiDing sites with.. 
 Any kt-Eid of a plow is good fioir dragging the vines off wil : . 
 
 use a c-ner'horse turning plow, which seems to do the work bat- 
 ter than anything I have ever tried. Of couirs.fi this Leaves. the. a in 
 fiaich a shape that they are not. much good for fieed, but as th'its 
 is th|s bit 'oil in thej potato grower's (rep, he does mat car? 
 
 rruuoh for the vines, further than to get them cut of the way and 
 save his potatoes. 
 
 After vines are out of the way I take th.> 10-inch mi ;' >ust- 
 eir spoken of above. And here I wish to scy that there are 
 middle busters that do not go deep enough to get the poitato'ci: 
 deep soil. Tt takes a good, sized team to get una m. Thiey wjilil 
 
 not keep if cut in digging. 
 
 After being plowed up the potatoes are dug out by hand and 
 placed along the side of rows in small piles acs far apart as can be 
 laid — say about an arm's length either way. Tliej are them allow I 
 lay here an hear or two, or even a half day does not hurt, so 
 ajlll wet dirt en them dry. Genera; ly it. is advisable to plow uip every 
 other row, eo asi to leave more room for working. If every row ifs 
 plowed up at one time, it will cover Tip the potatoes that a.re thrown 
 
■ 
 
 • ■ -/■;.;',* 
 
 i! a> 
 
 
 & •%■ 
 
 A, 
 
 ..spL\; 
 
 «9wiC&k« "■£ 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 37. 
 
 over the ' r. After every atfciar row is d'ug, then the alltier- 
 
 niating rows w] ich were left may be dug Lit me wiay. 
 
 After lliey are sninned or dried,, pack thom up, taking cnily the 
 ones that are large enough for eating p.uiripo.ses. T usually take thenn 
 down, to 1 Vz laches in diameter, as this is the size usedi by canning 
 factories. They require them to be at least that large. Then plick 
 up the smaller one®, wl saved icr seed. By thus 
 
 separating them in the ] e to be done at ship- 
 
 ping time, and saves handlling them t 
 
 Handlin is a very partiicul; i ne has 'to he 
 
 very carefal not to bruise them, especially it! they are to be hauled 
 very far. The crates that 1 h;a\e advised using fit exae'ly in a wide- 
 tread wagon. I fiil.1 bottom of wagon tied, putting in tweinty crates. 
 I then put a frame on this tier of crates and put in second tier. This 
 frame cam be made oif I lumber, i take five pieces long- 
 
 enough to lay crosswise in wagon box, and then take four p 
 length of wagon box, maili r we'll. Lfter you are 
 
 through digging put thls.se frames awiay for another season. 
 
 After putting loaded era i i box in this way, pack 
 
 vines around where they might jolt or jostle about any, jositlling 
 in the wagon will shinn, them up, and even thi tiould not. 
 
 rot, it mak<r& tb,e,m lock bad:, and bad (Samples always make bad 
 sales. You can never expect to sell a horse with blemishes all 
 him for as mu/ah as a sound horse. And tin iy with pota- 
 
 toes. • . 
 
 If you haul only a short distance, it is not necessary to fix 
 for double-decking, as it takes more time than you will save in 
 hauling. 
 
 Puttiin*; IN/tatoes in House. 
 
 After potatoes reach the houso tibey should be emptied upon 
 the floor of the bins. Let one hand get at 'back side of bin, take 
 crate and tain it upside clown, letting potatoes all fall out at once. 
 Do not tip crate over slowly so as to let potatoes roll out one at a 
 time, as this will shinn them up. Hold crate close down to floor 
 as possible so laisi to bruise potatoes as Little as possible. Fill bin 
 to bottom of sleepers of the bin to be put in above, or, thirty inches 
 deep. This will leave am air space of six inches, which is very esn 
 sential. Nail five 1x3 strips (one inch space between them, 'as de- 
 scribed before under house instructions) up in front of bin, which 
 will go up about 21 inches. This is higjh enough for the front, 
 and potatoes may be sloped up toward the back to thirty inches 
 
 deep. The slope at front gives plenty of room for air to get baiqk 
 under potatoes in the 'bin above. 
 
 When bin is full as described above, putt in flooring for next bin 
 above, and fill in the same manner as the one below. And right 
 here I wish to impress on the mind of the reader 'that these floors 
 must never be nailed down. Stack them up next to the wall when 
 
. 
 
 
By J, Green Nordin, Ruissiellville, Ark. 3 9. 
 
 bin, is empty. a& this will give room to empiy up crates and clean 
 up house after the potatoes are out. 
 
 Always fill cine bin- at a time, except whew one is being- fiillled 
 with eating potatoes and another with seed potatoes. If the seed 1 pota- 
 toes cain possibly be held back, they should never be put in until the 
 lower bins are filled with eating potatoes, as the seed potatoes are 
 smaller and require more attention, anid should be placed in the top 
 bins if possible. They will get more air from above than they wflll 
 frcm below. 
 
 Potato Diggers. 
 
 A few words about potato diggers. There Hue a humidreid and one 
 kinds on the market, but i do not recommend them, ais I know but lit- 
 tle about them. I have tried a few, but. found them mo good. Alii that 
 I have tried were very small outfits. Some were im the> shape of big 
 sweep® with fingers attached to under aide and rum back a distance 
 of 18 to 24 inches But these are not good, for the reason that you 
 cannot gat them in the ground deep enough to keep them from cut- 
 ting the potatoes off, which will came them to rot. 
 
 Then there are several makes of elevator diggers, which are fine 
 for Irish potatoes, but I do not know they will work with sweet po- 
 tatoes. I am going to try one this season, 1911', manufactured by 
 Hoover Manufacturing Co., of Avary, O., but I do not know what at 
 will do, as I have never tried it. I have in my possession testimoni- 
 als from men who have used them, and if they are what they say they 
 are, they will do the work. If thev do the work all right, one wlill 
 pay for itself in digging 20 acres of potatoes 
 
 Bear this in mind, that you cannot use anything that will sh:i/n;n, 
 bruise or cut the potatoes, unlesis you are figuring on selling them 
 to a canning f&icitory or canning them yourself Thlisi is what I propose 
 to do aftei this season',' canning all thait my house will not hold and alll 
 cut or bruised ones. By doing thiis the grower will have a chiamicie to 
 save all damaged potatoes and not be puzzled over room to keep 
 
 them, because yen cannot tell at transplanting time what you will 
 have for a crop. You might figure on a yield of 150 bushels per 
 acre and get 250, and if you had interred usilng a 1000 bushel house 
 you would come up short on room. 
 
 Keeping sweet potatoes after they are housed seems to bei the one 
 job dreaded by most growers. During all my life I have noticed the 
 dread that is constantly on the mind of any grower wjho has a large 
 surplus of sweet potatoes.. They do .iot know what to do with them 
 after they are dug, as they are almost sure to rot some time durin\g 
 
By J. Green Nordin, RuESieiilville, Ark. 41. 
 
 the winter. But in this section this dees not bother the grower any 
 more, for the potatoes are always put in potato hiatuses. But up to 
 within ten years ago they rotted here as they do in other localities. 
 But the people have gradually Learned more about them, and now, un- 
 less theire are more potatoes than houses will hold, they a 
 through the v, inter with no fear of lo 
 
 The main thing in keeping potatoes is the right prooessin the 
 
 start. That is, the first ten days or two weeks after they are d 
 
 The system of processing will have to vary on different potatoes, 
 depending upon condition of ©oil an which they are grown, ■ 
 of potai; md condition of season at digging 
 
 Potatoes in a very dry year are easily kept, unless* theirx lots 
 
 of rain jusl al ; time, which makes teen, the hai . any 
 
 Ic; Keep, fo.' they burst open making deep cracks in one or both 
 sides of the potato. Thesis are th potato to rot. On 
 
 account ol growing in her and thru g so full of 
 
 just at the time they ought to be matured, the: wthy, 
 
 which mak LI \m ; : : ; :o do anything with. 
 
 Then different soils make some difference as to their curiE : qual- 
 Where there is red clay in y take less cui n in 
 
 any other soil, if there is any pari of sitiekj '.and, or soil t ! 
 inclined to run together th bit, it mates a potato that iis hard 
 
 to keep undir any ki; I 
 
 cure without going clown some. So 
 
 make them rot. V gin to drop them, which wall I 
 
 plained ! , limed to swivel at ■■ much, 
 
 after a few v. y are inclined :o heat. Af 
 
 they a intil hand not good 
 
 for potatoes in any ki'i ajr, for in dr: as they will not 
 
 make anything, and in irs they will not keetp, so it is the best 
 
 policy to I'M that kind of soil aioin > wth a growing potatoes. Very of- 
 ten such land i bad tor briars and persimmon gfl which 
 cause disesse ei po Mi will be explab d later on. 
 
 Sandy land makes potatoes! tha a 
 
 >, as I !.< y do not 
 ";;i with lots o.f r dn 
 bind of soil. 
 
 When (o Fire Up Stoves. 
 
 As sonu i be started in 
 
 stove, and if weahetr is cool whi ■, M i.s have 
 
 some fi: ■ while digging. And if wrather remain; than a. 
 
 week or ', , : ^ c to pr it is mot 
 best en thp last ones dug, ycit it w:l] V 
 
 If the wmtlic!' i!« colder ttan 56 degrees, or ever. 60, there should 
 
 be some fire every day, and the potatoes a'red every d !•< iving 
 house open at least ore hour in morning and one hour at might, un- 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Rmssellville, Ark. 43. 
 
 less it is frosty, when they should be aired about thirty minutes, with 
 all doors and air holes open. If the thermometer stands' albo.ve 56 or 
 60 during digging time, keep doors open all the time, niiglht and day, 
 no mattei how high the thermometer should register, even if iit should 
 go to SO or 9 degrees. 
 
 After digging a® spoken of above, start fire, closing the doors and 
 air holes hole.fi tight; except when atmosphere is warmer outside than 
 inside, which is not very likely to be at this season of the year. Keep 
 the doors and air botes airtight, except as spoken of above, and try 
 to bring the temperature up at least ten degrees every day, giving the 
 house air with all doors and air holts open at least one hour eiaish 
 morning and evening. Bear this hi mind, to keep all doors and air 
 hoies open when the air iis warmer outside until the potatoes go to 
 the neuuired beat, and them open house up afterward emery time the 
 air is as warm outside as inside. Keep raisins: the temperature. If 
 you .cannot get it up ten degrees each day, raise it all you can \r\- : ] 
 it g'ts about 85 or 90 degrees. If it has been raining a lot about 
 digging time, stop the temperature' about 85 degrees. If it has Ibeen 
 a dry year and rained a lot at digging time or juElt bi fore, run 
 the temperature up to about 90 degrees. If it has been very dry all 
 the season and stays dry through digging time, do not run the tem- 
 perature higher than 75, and for an ordinary year, about 80 degrees 
 is sufficient. In fact, 80 deigneesi its the supposed 'temperature to run 
 them to, unless they are very wisit when put in the house. Hold 
 to this temperature, giving aiir at right times as mentioned above. And 
 at all times when you cam get within 10 degrees of this temperature.,, 
 open u'p house and let in sunshine. Keep potatoes to tempera' ur - 
 described above for a period of 10 to 15 days, according to the condi- 
 tion they get in, as described below, noticing these conditions very 
 carefully: 
 
 When potatoes show up as above, cease firing and let tli9 
 temperature drop gradually, not over 6 to 8 degrees each day, until 
 you are down to 56 or 60 degrees, giving them all the aiir that the 
 weather will permit. When you stop firing, open the air holes, and do 
 not close them any more except when it is cold — 'say 4 degrees or 
 colder. Then jit is best to close them, opening them a few minutes 
 each day to let the foul air out. 
 
 The Ventilating- Fan. 
 
 I will give a short description of the fan ventilating system which 
 I am using. Potatoes will keep without it, but it hellpsi greatly. By 
 its use you can save all out potatoes, and it helps greatly when the 
 potatoes are wet with mud in a bad season, which the grower iis likely 
 to have seme years. 
 
 I use a common blacksmith's blower, No. 1, for a, 2 0x2 houi-e, 
 and No. 2 or 3 for the 20x4 house. I put them as near to the 
 ceiling as I can get them, and put my lime is/haft in a small opening 
 over one of the doors. The opening may be made from 1x4 inch lum- 
 
44. The Sweet Potato— Hc>w to Grow and Keep It. 
 
 ber, which will imake an opening three inches square, inside measure- 
 ment. Your engine must be on the outside, for if you do not use 
 an adr-cooled engine, the boiling water from engine tank will! cause a 
 dampness to rise which -will damage the potatoes. Aind it is safer to 
 have these engines on the outside anyway. 
 
 Estimate the speed of engine bo as to run No. 1 fan 3 800 revo- 
 lutions per minute; No. 2, 3500; and No. 3, 3200. They have to be run 
 at above speed to throw the air like it ought to be thrown, with all 
 the force that the fan will possibly bear. 
 
 For o< aveying the air throughout the building, I use what tin- 
 ners use for "diown spouting," or 4 or 5 inch gas stove piping. This 
 is good unless the air loses out at the joints or eTJbows. With the 
 exception of this objection, it is by far the best, for it is easily han- 
 dled and can be turned about in any direction you may want to 
 use if. 
 
 After equjpiPMiig my house i ;; this way after a day's digging I 
 can throw the air right in under the bins and keep the air circulating. 
 This dries ike dampness out, and causes ail cut potatoes to seal 
 
 ■over so lb will keep better than to be left alone, for they 
 
 will sure ret if this system is not used. And the bad part of cut 
 and bruised potatoes is, that they rot lots of others. 
 
 Marketing Potatoes. 
 
 Marketing the potatoes after they are grown is of course the bus- 
 iness end of the industry. I have had experience in almost every 
 way imaginable connected with selling and trading potatoes. I have 
 hauled them to town and traded them for groceries, peddled them on 
 the streets, traded them to other farmers for (heir products, shipped 
 them to be Bold on commission, shipped direct to retailer, and have 
 sold thom it; almost any way that could be thought of. Selling them in 
 nearby towns is best, when they can consume all the supply, but when 
 the demand is not equal to the supply you Lave to resort to ship- 
 ping them. 
 
 I was in the business until 1906 before 1 ever shipped a bushel 
 of potatoes. In 'February, 1907, I shipped one car load, receiving a 
 good pri?e tor them. Since then I have been shipping most all my 
 crop. In fact, the past two seasons, I shipped my entire crop, and 
 also handled considerable potatoes for other parties. 
 
 As stated above, it is best to sell to nearby towns when conven- 
 ient, for in this case they only have to be measured, and not weighed. 
 In some states the weight is an excess, as in Texas, for instance, you 
 have to give G5 pounds per bushel, while in Arkansas it is only 50 
 pounds. Then for local shipments you do not have to buy b'arrels, 
 crates or sacks to ship in. Also, you run no risk of having potatoes 
 
By J. Green Nordin, RussellviMe, Ark. 45. 
 
 sidetracked on the road somewhere and damaged or lost in shipment. 
 And you do not have' to contend with the bad buyer, which all grow- 
 ers are sure, to strike if he deals with very many commission men. 
 All commission men, are not this way?, however, as I find some of 
 them straight as can he. 
 
 My system of selling potatoes that have been kept through the 
 winter is simply this: When all the local potatoes are out of the 
 way and the market is good, I select same nice samples (not too 
 large) and take them to the buyers, showing exactly w.hat I have 
 and can deliver them. I make my prices to them, always allowing 
 for freight rates, because you always have to make a delivered 
 
 price. No commission man will buy in any way except f. o. b. at 
 his station. This is also advantageous, for the reason that if you are 
 in behind them you cam rush them through, while the buyer probably 
 has several car loads of other perishable staff that needs pushing as 
 well as the potatoes. Hardly any wholesaler or jobber will buy ex- 
 cept when delivered. 
 
 There are various ways of preparing potatoes for shipment, but 
 all are not good, for skinning them makes an awful bad sample. 
 
 The best package is a 150 pound barrel, although in some local- 
 ities it is very hard to find barrels. If it is very far from factory, 
 empty sugar barrels, apple barrels, onion barrels, are all good, and 
 in a town of any size they can generally be picked up very cheaply. 
 Lime barrels are finest of any second-hand barrel, as the lime is 
 good for the potatoes. I have used sacks for shipping more than any- 
 thing alse, for I could alwyas get them quickly. B<ut they are not 
 good as barrels. They are the sorriest of any method of shipping 
 sweet potatoes. 
 
 The growier must never under any circumstances ship potatoes to 
 a broker, as it is too dangerous a proposition. They are usually a 
 class of business men whom it will not do to trust. If they do get 
 good prices, you will often realize but little out of them. 
 
 In loading cars for potatoes, always get refrigerator cars, but 
 be sure there is no ice in the bunks. Also see that car is clean. If 
 car is not clean, and cannot be cleaned, refuse it, for a refrigerator 
 with a salty floor is sure to rot the potatoes quickly. Be sure there 
 is no tiriaisih of any kind in the ice boxes. If car is a small one, do 
 not put over 4 50 bushels in it, if potatoes are in sacks, If packed 
 in barrels, it dees not matter how many you put in the car, just so 
 they do not mash each other or skin or bruise up in anyway. If seed 
 potatoes are being shipped, more can be loaded in the car. 
 
 PUT ST.OVE IN CAR. 
 
 If it is likely to be very cold while potatoes are on the road, put 
 a stove in the car. In loading the ca~ io?ul from both olds, so 
 as to 't'iu i-yfice in the middle f car for the stove if needed. 
 
 My plan for putting stove in car is as follows: Use a coal oil 
 
46. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow and Keep It. 
 
 stove. No railroad company will allow a gasoline stove, as it is 
 dangerous. Fixst make a Small platform large enough for stove to 
 sit on. Swing this on the ceiling of the car with wire. Then take four 
 1x3 inch strips and mail them about three feet from wire at ceiling, 
 and then to platform, putting the stoves as eloso to the 'ceiling as you 
 can iget it. This will keep the air warm df the weather is not too cold. 
 If it gets very cold, it is best to take the stove down to the floor. 
 In this case the attendant has to stay in the car all the time, as the 
 stove might be knocked over by the jolt of the train. This might set 
 the car on fire. In ear loads, an attendant is necessary at all times, 
 for in cold weather the stove has to be attended to, and at all times 
 the ear must be ventilated at least twice a day. This is very easily 
 done. While the train is moving, open the doors over the ice boxes. 
 If it is cold, do not leave them open but a few minutes at a time; but 
 if warm, they may stay open all the time. Attendant must have a 
 thermometer, both inside the car nnd outside; on inside, to see that 
 the potatoes are warm enough, and on the outside so as to know 
 how the weather is on the outside and the better regulate 'tem- 
 perature on kuside. 
 
 If all the above directions are followed, though they are brief, 
 there is not much danger of losing potatoes in transit. 
 
 After car reaches its destination, do all that is in your power to 
 get it set at proper place for unloading as soon as possible, as the 
 potatoes are always safer in the house than in the car. 
 
 Diseases of Potatoes. 
 
 In writing of the diseases of) sweet potatoes, probably I may 
 not give it as scientifically as some botanists would, but I will try 
 in a plain way that may be understood by all, to give some di- 
 seases that have come under my observation. 
 
 I have had some trouble with plants not growing well, on account 
 of insects, but not enough to amont to anything serious, as no in- 
 sects that work on the vines live long enough tc entirely kill them. 
 The Army Worm that eats the leaves from cotton does some work in 
 potatoes some >ears. If there is cotton near the potatoes, and the 
 worms are very tad, they will eat the leaves off the potatoes, which 
 in this case would be good for them. For Army Worms are never 
 very numerous except in very wet summers, and in this kind o>f sea- 
 son the vines grow too rank and do not let the sunshine into the po- 
 tatoes. Of course I do not suppose the Army Worm lives further 
 north than the "cotton belt." 
 
 BLACK ROT. 
 
 The worst disease we have to contend with, is the Black R'Ot, 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 47. 
 
 which, when in its worst stage, is something very bad. And when it 
 once gets into potatoes, the only way to get rid of it is to change 
 seed, place of bedding, and land, as the land gets full of the disease. 
 
 It is very easy to tell when black rot gets into potatoes. In 
 digging, you can see black spots from the size of a pinhead to as 
 large as a half dollar. These spots are always hard and firm as the 
 rest of the potato while in the field. After putting in the house they 
 begin to grow in size and nuimber. When potatoes are diug the spots 
 are only skin deep, but as soon as housed the spots will get deep- 
 er, and the rest of the potato will become covered wlith something that 
 looks like blisters. When they get in this condition,, no 'matter how 
 healthy other potatoes may be, they will contract the disease. If 
 there is enough of theim in the house, after five or isix weeks they 
 will begin to heat the house, and all affected potatoes will begin to 
 spWout some if they are very large. 
 
 If at digging time there is only one potato in the hill that has 
 the disease showing, it is in the whole hill and may break out in 
 the house after the potatoes are stored, some of them showing up 
 even three months after potatoes are dug. 
 
 I have taken potatoes at digging time as above and listed it 
 out when I could (ais I have been bothered but little with black 
 rot.) Furthermore, when they are affected, you can take one 
 
 sound potato from the hill and the disease will show up the nest 
 year. When once they contract the disease, it stays from year to 
 year, growing worse all the time. 
 
 If the disease is in tlhe stock of potatoes, ;you may pick out sound 
 looking potatoes and bed theim, and it will show up on the plants. 
 There will be narrow black streaks on the roots of the plants, some- 
 times going half way around the plants. And again, it may not be 
 seen on the plants, but will show up on the potatoes. An experienc- 
 ed eye will detect it on the plants or potatoes without any black 
 spots showing. The only way out of it when stock has 1 been affected 
 with black rot is to get new seed and change land until the affected 
 land is clear of the disease. 
 
 If the grower gets it into his potatoes, he can save his crop from 
 rotting, but it causes them to be sorry for eating purposes. Of course 
 the seed, or small potatoes can, be used for stock feed. At digging 
 time if there be very much black rot, put the potatoes in the house 
 as quickly as possible, and begin heating theim, airing as much as 
 possible. Run the temperature up to 100 degrees as quick as they will 
 bear it, and hold it there until potatoes begin to sprout. Then cool 
 down to about 50 to 54 degrees, and be sure not to let them go over 
 60 degrees. If they try to heat too much, go through them and pick 
 out all affected potatoes and carry them far enough away to pre- 
 vent the odor coming back to the house. 
 
 The kind of land that is more subject to black rot is where it 
 had been manured with barnyard fertilizer, or land where there are 
 
48. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow^ and Keep It. 
 
 persimmon sprouts or oots. Also where the land is filled in, low 
 places where the land is made, and land which runs together is very 
 bad some years. It is worse in wet years than in any other years. 
 
 NIMIETOADS. 
 
 Next to black rot the worst plague to potatoes is the Nimietoad, 
 a small, egg-like insect which, .when grown, is near the size of a 
 mustard seed, or hardly so large. If they have any active power it 
 is more than I have ever been able to detect. They are cream col- 
 ored, and when grown they break or burst with the least bit of 
 pressure. I have cut open potatoes affected with them and found 
 thousands of them, so small you could see them only in mass except 
 with the aid of a magnifying glass. If they ever hatch into anything 
 else, I have never been able to detect it. I have been in commu- 
 nication with several experts, and none of them have ever given them 
 aanything further than the foregoing. 
 
 The effects they have on potatoes are as follows: If the land 
 gets thin, vihich is the natural breeding place for them, and the land 
 is run continuously in potatoes, they will get so bad that the vinesi will 
 die in the summer, and what few potatoes there are will be clear of 
 roots, and will mot be larger than roots themselves. If the land is 
 cultivated in potatoes continuously after this disease sets in, it will 
 get so you can raise nothing on it. Even corn Willi die before it 
 tassels, and cotton, peas and sorghum will ylied all the leaves off like 
 it had tihe rust. You can pull up eottton stalks and they will be just 
 one straight root with all the feed roots eaten off. 
 
 The only wlay to get rid of them is to change land and seed, as 
 in black rot. It is a great deal easiier controlled than black rot, 
 and does not make the potatoes rot so badly in the house. Potatoes 
 affected with Nimietoad do not need heating as if affected with black 
 rot, but they have to be assorted and the affected ones taken out. 
 
 In Conclusion. 
 
 Now in concluding this little book, I wish to say that I may 
 have left out some very important things, but I have tried to cover 
 aflil the essential points to a potato grower, on the various subjects 
 dealt with. 
 
 If the grower will follow all the directions carefully, he will not 
 be likely to lose many potatoes. He must use plenty of caution, keep- 
 ing in mind that to makje a success of anything, it must be done 
 right, no matter what it is. 
 
 When I commenced to raise sweet potatoes, as explained in the 
 first part of this book,, I met with plenty of disappointments. Having 
 
By J. Green Nordin, Russellville, Ark. 49. 
 
 no capital with which to work, and inexperienced, I had a very hard 
 row to weed, but I have staid with the industry until I have made 
 a success out of it. 
 
 If there is any particular thing in, this 'hook which the reader 
 does not understand, enclose stamp and it will be made plainer if pos- 
 sible. 
 
 The estimates of cost of houses are made for this immediate lo- 
 cality. Anyone can figure the cost on the different materials in 
 his own locality, as there are no two places where' the cost of all the 
 materials will be the same. 
 
 The demand for sweet potatoes is constantly growing, and to my 
 opinion, in a very few years the South can stop so much cotton rais- 
 ing, wMch is the ruination of the Southern farmer. .For the past four 
 or five years 1 have failed to have anything like enough potatoes to 
 fill my orders. The last season I did not have one bushel' for every one 
 hundred bushels I had orders' for. 
 
 The grower must bear in mind that a good sample is what sells 
 his potatoes, and then live up tO' the sample. Never in any case ship 
 out anything that is not first-class, as one bad shipment will ruin you 
 with that buyer for good. 
 
 There are always some bad potatoes, no matter how good your 
 crop may be or how well cared for. They can usually be handled to 
 good advantage locally, where you can see the buyer personally and 
 sell for a class of trade that demands that class of potatoes. But if 
 these inferior potatoes were put in your carloads, it would damage 
 them quite a lot. And if handled Through a commission merchant, he 
 might turn the whole load down because of a few bad potatoes. 
 
 One Tilng about diseases of potatoes. When you contemplate 
 
 changing seed, it would be a good idea to have a botanist examine 
 a sample of the new seed decided upon., for if the seed is bad it is 
 a sure thing that the potatoes will show up bad in digging. And 
 besides making the stock of potatoes bad, it will cause the land 
 to get full of diseases. It might become inoculated with Nimetoads, 
 and once this gets into the land there is not much chance of getting 
 rid of it, especially this far south, as it takes very hard freezing 
 
 weather to get them out of the way. Also the 'black rot can ruin you 
 through the seed potatoes. 
 
 CANNING POTATOES. 
 A few words about canning sweet potatoes. This I believe will be 
 the quickest way to get a good price for sweet potatoes, for when 
 they are canned they are always ready money. In fact, you can 
 always engage them two or three months before they are canned. 
 
 It takes a steam pressure canning outfit to can potatoes. You can- 
 not can them successfully in open retorts, for you can only heat them 
 to 212 degrees until the water begins to evaporate, while potatoes 
 have to heat to 240 degrees to kil the germs so they will keep. 
 
 There are some canning outfits with steam pressure on the mar- 
 
50. The Sweet Potato — How to Grow and Keep It. 
 
 ket. They come a little higher than the open retort ouitlfiit. 
 
 I find that the ibest plan in operating a home canning outfit ia 
 to sell your pack before you begin canning. Then wiien you are canr 
 ning, all you have to do is to ship your goods out as fast as they aire 
 ready. Always try to sell to the best dealers — the ones who have 
 the widest trade. 
 
 After this season I expect to can, all my culls and damaged po- 
 tatoes. And if it proves a success, I am expecting later to can ev- 
 erything aibove the seed size. 
 
 OVERPRODUCTION NOT POSSIBLE. 
 
 And this I wish to say about the sweet potato industry. Do not 
 get into your head that there will be an overproduction. Same grow- 
 ers have written me that they had only a small amount of potatoes, 
 and they rotfed on their hands before they could sell them . 
 
 Now if these growers had been prepared to take care of their po- 
 tatoes, they would not have had enough to last their customers until 
 wiimter set in good. In their case, what potatoes they could keep were 
 damaged, and the dealers were afraid to handle very many at a 
 time, making it very troublesome, and not much profit either to the 
 grower. or dealer. If they could have kept their seed potatoes until 
 spring, they would have made a great deal more out of their crop 
 than they did in the way it was handled. 
 
 PRICE OF THIS BOOK. 
 
 Now, .his to the price of this little book. 1 would be gilad if I 
 could put it out as a bulletin through the Government, and let 
 
 every farmer have it free for the asking. But I have been to con- 
 siderable expense getting it u;p, going into alii the details so as to 
 make it a® plain as possible. I have spent ten years of my life in 
 the sweet potato business, and I am now giving my experience of all 
 these years for the small amount asked for this book, which is very 
 cheap, considering the amount of information it contains, and the 
 profit it will prove to everyone who reads it and grows and cares 
 )foir potator. |3 according to the suggestions herein. 
 
The Original Fuller & Johnson Steel 
 Frame Bemis Transplanter 
 
 Is the only practical machine for transplanting tobacco, cab- 
 bages, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, nursery stock. 
 
 Better Than By Hand 
 
 Plants set by this machine start sooner — Mature 
 more evenly. 
 
 It not only saves time in labor but results in increase 
 in yield per acre. 
 
 Set youir plants when ready. You don't have to wait 
 for rain. Each plant is watered at the roots and is cov- 
 ered with dry earth, hence no baking of soil around the 
 plant. 
 
 The only t rains p la niter witheveiry feature necessary for 
 every purpose and with every adjustment desired. 
 
 ITS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES are: 
 
 The floating shoe. 
 
 The soft steel center high tjmpereri and polished pres- 
 sure plates. 
 
 The uniform pressure on uneven ground. 
 
 The absolute and quick device for regulating the quan- 
 tity of water required. 
 
 The perfect spacing device. 
 
 The equalization of droppers weight in applying pres- 
 sure ;o the pressure plates and shoe. 
 
 Strength, durability and simplicity. 
 
 Users of the Biemis EVERYWHERE will testify to 
 its superior merit. 
 
 Puy only the original Fuller & Johnson Bemis Trans- 
 planter made by 
 
 Madison Plow Company 
 
 Manufacturers also of Plows, Harrows, Cultivators, 
 Corn Planters, Etc., Etc., 
 
 Write for Catalog 
 
DEG 80 lilt' 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 002 685 660 7