The Sweet Potato: A Handbook for the Practical Grower by T. E. Hand and K. L. Cockerham is an illustrated survey of sweet-potato production and use. The Macmillan Company published it in New York in January 1921 as part of the Rural Science Series, edited by L. H. Bailey.
A broad view of the crop
The opening chapters consider the plant’s origin, description and botanical classification, then its importance and distribution. Climate and soil types are included before the book turns to the uses of the crop.
This arrangement gives the practical chapters a setting. The authors treat the sweet potato as a plant grown under particular conditions, as a food and feed crop, and as a product that must be propagated, harvested and kept.
For a historical homestead library, the book’s strength is its breadth. It can be read as a connected account of an entire crop cycle or consulted by subject through the detailed contents and index.
Food, feed and manufactured products
The utilization chapter covers food for people and domestic animals. It includes roots and vines, silage, composition and food value, followed by manufactured products such as dried sweet potatoes, flour, chips, starch and sirup.
A domestic-cooking section gives examples including baked, fried and candied sweet potatoes, biscuits, bread, muffins, salad and custard. These pages show the crop entering both household cookery and larger processing systems.
The industrial and dietary discussions reflect the knowledge and practices of the period. Their value is as a record of the uses considered important by the authors, rather than a current nutritional or processing standard.
Propagation and plant beds
The propagation chapter begins with selecting roots for planting stock. Disease control, yield and quality are considered alongside the production and treatment of seed potatoes.
Plant beds receive detailed attention. The contents distinguish open beds, coldframes and hotbeds heated by manure, flues or pipes. Bedding, covering, care of the bed and drawing plants follow in sequence.
Vine cuttings and the commercial plant business extend the discussion beyond the preparation of a small home planting. Field and office methods and advertising appear among the subjects, showing how producing plants could become a separate enterprise.
Field culture, varieties and crop protection
The field-management chapter connects tillage with fertilizing and rotation. Preparation for planting, spacing and setting plants in the field lead into cultivation and fertilizer questions.
A varieties chapter is followed by sections on insects and diseases. The insect material includes sweet-potato weevils, tortoise beetles and flea beetles, among other pests. The disease discussion includes storage rots as well as problems associated with growing plants.
The illustrations and descriptions are useful to readers studying the history of crop protection. Treatments and disease explanations should be interpreted in their 1921 setting and checked against current local guidance before use.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting and storage form a major later part of the book. The contents compare storage houses with banking and discuss the construction and management of a house. The authors connect the condition of the harvested roots with the way they are kept.
This is particularly relevant to a self-sufficiency collection. A crop that grows well can still be lost through poor handling, unsuitable conditions or decay. The book records how those concerns were addressed in a period when dedicated storage structures were receiving considerable attention.
Building details, temperature practices and costs are historical reference material. They are useful for understanding an old design or comparing systems, but do not establish a present-day specification for construction or food storage.
Readers and digital copy
This free ebook suits gardening historians, smallholding researchers and readers interested in traditional propagation and storage. It is more comprehensive than a short planting leaflet, bringing crop biology, field work, uses and post-harvest handling into one volume.
The PDF contains 291 digital pages, including covers, preliminary matter, illustrations and an index. It preserves yellowed paper and small print. Enlarge tables, captions and plant-bed details, and distinguish the printed pagination from the PDF page position when following references.
Book details
- Author: T. E. Hand and K. L. Cockerham
- Publisher: The Macmillan Company, New York
- Year: 1921
- Edition: Published January 1921; no numbered edition stated
- Digital length: 291 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 13.47 MB
