The Culture and Diseases of the Sweet Potato by J. J. Taubenhaus is a substantial agricultural reference published by E. P. Dutton & Company in 1923. The author, then chief of plant pathology and physiology at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, organizes the work around growing the crop, recognizing its problems and preserving it after harvest.
From planting material to field culture
The first part begins with origin, distribution and production, then turns to the planting material from which a sweet-potato crop is established. Seed selection and improvement receive attention before the reader reaches the field.
Propagation is examined in detail through hotbeds, cold frames and other arrangements for producing sprouts. Taubenhaus considers bed soil, covering, watering and troubles that can arise during this stage.
The result is useful to readers studying the entire production sequence. The crop begins with the quality and treatment of its propagating material, not simply with a row of plants set into prepared ground.
Sprouts, soils and varieties
The section on drawing sprouts connects nursery work with transplanting. It discusses handling, replacement of dead hills and the implements used to establish plants.
Soils, rotation, manures, fertilizers, cultivation and irrigation then enter the account. Tables and comparisons preserve the experimental evidence available to the author.
A chapter on varieties includes a classification key and an explanation of how to use it. This adds a reference function beyond general advice, allowing the reader to follow the characteristics by which varieties were distinguished.
Harvesting and uses
Harvesting includes the implements used, grading and hauling. The author connects the condition of roots at this stage with their later handling and value.
A separate discussion considers food uses, recipes, vines as forage, silage and starch production. It shows the range of purposes for which the crop was being studied and promoted.
For a self-sufficiency collection, these chapters supply historical context for a crop that links household food with farm production and processing. They should be read with their period assumptions and measurements attached.
Diseases and other causes of loss
The second part first establishes the structure of a healthy plant, then examines losses and specific diseases. Root and storage rots, leaf diseases, wilts, scurf and other conditions receive separate treatment.
Photographic plates and drawings accompany the descriptions. Insects and other pests, including the sweet-potato weevil and root-knot injury, are considered in a later chapter.
The distinction between different causes of damage is central to the book. Its terminology, chemical treatments and control recommendations are historical; they are not a substitute for current diagnosis or approved crop-protection guidance.
Curing and storage as a system
The third part is particularly extensive. It considers storage in banks and cellars, physiological changes during storage and the curing period.
Temperature, moisture, heating, ventilation, thermometers and hygrometers are discussed as connected parts of storage management. Taubenhaus then examines the preparation and filling of houses and the choice between bins and containers.
Commercial curing-house construction receives chapters of its own. Plans, descriptions and bills of materials range from smaller houses to much larger arrangements, showing how storage capacity influenced the design of a production system.
Marketing and the reference apparatus
The final chapter turns to containers, shipping and marketing. A bibliography and index make the volume useful for locating a particular subject or following the research discussed in the text.
This free ebook suits agricultural historians, sweet-potato researchers and readers interested in the development of propagation and storage practice. Its strength is the connection between field culture, plant pathology and post-harvest handling within one reference.
The PDF contains 367 digital pages, including preliminary matter, contents, photographic plates, tables, diagrams, bibliography and index. Many illustrations occupy separate leaves, so the digital counter differs from printed pagination. Enlarge the storage-house drawings and tables when consulting dimensions or comparing experimental results.
Book details
- Author: J. J. Taubenhaus
- Publisher: E. P. Dutton & Company, New York
- Year: 1923
- Edition: 1923 issue; no numbered edition stated
- Digital length: 367 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 13.86 MB
