It is not known how far north sweet potatoes can be raised, but it is probable that on a sandy soil and with a southern exposure they may be successfully grown in portions of Vermont and New Hampshire, or even in Maine.  Attempts to raise them have often been defeated by excessive care in preparing the ground, or in not knowing how to preserve them after they are dug. When they are planted in too deep a soil, the tuber runs down too deep and becomes watery and insipid.

About the first of April—a little later, perhaps, in locations north of New York—put the potatoes in a hot bed. If they are large, split them lengthwise, laying the flat side down. They may be placed so near as almost to touch each other; then cover about two inches deep with a light rich compost made of fine sand, manure, and good soil or leaf-mould from the woods, When the sprouts push above the ground add an inch more of the compost. Water occasionally with warm water; keep the bed warm at night, and on fine days give them air and sunshine to render them hardy. When ready to set, the sprouts may be pulled off, or the potato may be lifted out and the best plants selected and the potato be returned to the hot-bed. A bushel of seed will produce from three to five thousand plants, and every thousand plants which are set should produce forty.bushels of potatoes.

A warm, sandy loam is best adapted to the culture. Mark spaces three feet apart, merely scratching the ground, for the rows, which should run north and south. On the marks spread barn-yard manure with a fork; then turn up the earth with a plough from each side toward the manure, and form a ridge about ten inches high, and finish the ridge with a rake. The base of the ridge, which should be a foot in width, should not be disturbed by the plough. The top of the ridge when finished should be flat and three or four inches in width.

Plants should be set as soon as all danger from frost is past. I have obtained fair sized potatoes when planted the 1st day of July, but I do not advise late planting.

Sweet potatoes will grow more chubby when planted on sod than when planted in any other way.  Strips of sod eight or ten inches wide can be laid in line on the surface of the ground with the grass side up, manure strewed on them, and the earth turned up on each side so as to form a ridge, as directed above; or a piece of pasture or meadow may be selected, and the turf used as the base of the ridge to be formed by the plough. In either case manure or rich compost should be used; for, unlike Irish potatoes, these are not injured, but are greatly benefited by manure.

A marker should be used to prick off the spaces for the plants, sixteen inches apart. A boy is then able to drop the plants in the right places, and the hole is made for setting them. The plant should then be put in the ground down to the first leaf, and the earth pressed gently around it. Care should be taken to set the plants when the ground is moist, and, if possible, on a cloudy day.

Keep the weeds subdued. Use a hoe or a rake, raking upward toward the plants. Where the plants run down the ridges, lift and lay them on the top.  Do this several times during the season, in order to permit the sun to act upon the ground.

For early use feel in the ridges, and nip from the stem those that are fit for use, leaving the others to grow.  For winter use, after the first frost select a dry, clear day. Cut the vines with a scythe, leaving the stem to which the potatoes are attached three or four inches long to lift them by. The vines are readily eaten by cattle. Use a fork for raising the potatoes; lift them by the stem, and lay them on the ridge to dry. In a few hours they will be ready to pack. Prepare plenty of dry, cut straw, (old straw is preferable,) and take straw and barrels or boxes to the field. Select the best potatoes, handling them carefully, without bruising them. Put a layer of straw at the bottom of the barrel, and then alternate layers of potatoes and straw until it is filled. The potatoes should be placed close to each other, one at a time, and handled as carefully as eggs. The barrels are then to be moved to a dry room or cellar] where there will be no frost. If they are placed in a cellar they must be raised from the floor, and must not touch the wall. Keeping warm and dry is the secret of their preservation. They will keep six or eight months and improve in quality. From one plot of ground 39 by 100 feet I gathered, in October last, 433 bushels.