Mimeograph Series No. 12 January 1944 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION of The Alabama Polytechnic Institue, Auburn, Ala. * * * * * * M. J. Funchess, Director * * * SIEETPOTATOES FOR LIVESTOCK FEED L. M. WARE Department of Horticulture and Forestry The cash income of southern farmers is about one third that of the New England and North Central States. In its fi.nal analysis, this low income can be largely attributed to inadequate cultivated acres, low yields per acre and a single, cash-crop system of farming. The acreage of crop land is practically fixed by topography and inherent soil fertility, which can not be altered materially. Yields may be increased somewhat by better farming methods or by the use of new crops that by nature produce larger relative yields than the old crops. Any break with the past with regard to the one-crop system will require that livestock be brought more promi- nontly into the agricultural program. These are the basic facts that con- front those planning agricultural programs in the South. If the South increases its livestock production materially, it will require greater production of feeds. For a livestock industry to be profitable in the South, the yields of its feed crops must be somewhat in line with the yields of the feed erops in states now engaged in profitable livestock priduction, The South is fortunate in the variety and abundance of its protein feeds, but at present it does not grow a single carbohy- drate feed, the yield of which will enable it to compete on even terms with the North-Central States in livestock production. Cottonseed meal and peanut meal are protein concentrates available in large quantities in the South and from southern crops. Peanuts, soybeans, cowpeas, and kudzu furnish grazing and hay crops in abundance. The yield of grain crops, however, which must supply the needed carbohydrates is too low in the South to permit production on a competitive basis. The average yield of corn in Iowa for the 12-year period 1928-39 was 37.8 bushels per acre; for Georgia, Alabama, and Florida the yield for the same period was 10.5 bushels, Corn is the basic carbohydrate feed, The difference in the yield of other grain crops is about as great. It becomes, therefore, obvious that one of the greatest needs of the South today in its livestock program is a crop which will produce more carbohydrates than will corn. The sweetpotato seems definitely to offer such a crop. This old crop of the South is well adapted to the soils and climate of the section, is a dependable crop, will produce much more feed per acre than corn, and is a good livestock feed both as a fresh and as a dried product. The swetpotato not only will yield several times as much feed as corn in Alabama but will yield more food per than Iowa corn# These aro considerations that should weigh heavily in a fair evaluation of the place of sweetpotatoos in Southern agricultural programs* Comparison of Corn and Sweetpotatoos Experiments of tho Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station have shown that the sweetpotato compares favorably with corn as a livestock feed, that about thro times tho yield of fod per acre may be obtained from sweetpotatoes as from corn, and that returns from an aere of sweetpotatoes are considerably higher than returns from the grain crops with which they would compote as a feed. Comparative food value by chemical analysis. Corn improvement has been the subject of experimental efforts for years; improvement of the sweetpotato has just begun. Corn today, therefore, represents a'highly improved crop; great improvements may be expected in swoetprtatoes within the next decade. This may be illustrated by referring to the starch con- tent of the varieties usually grown which run about 22 to 24Per cent, yet one variety of swootpotatoes has been folund which may run as high as 30 per cent starch. One bushel of corn contains approximetely 39 pounds of carbohydrates and about 5.8 pounds of protein (average of 86 analyses).Ono bushel of undried sweetpotatoes ccntains apprqximat-ly 15s and 1.1 pounds of protein (average of 48 analyses). One 'ushel of corn, therefore, contains about as'much carbohydrates as 2.6 bushels of raw or undried sweetpotetoes. One bushel of corn will contain as much carbohy- drates and proteins combined as 2.8 bushels of potatoos, Since one pound of protein costs three times as much as one pound of cat4bohydratas, one bushel of corn should have a relative cost value of 3,1 bushels of potatoes. It is evident, therefore, either nn a basis of analysis or of cost that one bushel of armn should be about equal to or at least should not exceed in value three bushels of sweletpotatoos. $weetpotatoes when ![riod to 10 per cent moisture are re-duce d to about no third of their original green wejght. Analyses ohow that dried potatoes Should be approximately eciual to corn pound for pound. Driod potatoes rwontain about 32 per cent carbohydrate exclusive of fibers and 3.2 per cent protein,\. This would indicate a carbohydrate:,) contenlt, 12 per cent highear and a protein cintent about 7 per cent lower than corn. Swo,7otpotatoes supply 30W itCorVin C., calcium, and iron (20). The yellow varieties supply liberal quantities of carotene. Besides the root- 4w cent higher feeding value than corn pound for pound and gave a return of $33.90 per ton as compared to an assigned base price of $25.00 per ton for ground corn. In the same test 2.24 pounds nf raw or undried potatoes gave gains equivalent to one pound of corn; nr raw potatoes gve returns equiva- lent to YL.37 per ton or 31.8 cents per bushel. Massey (15) obtained 8.2 per cent more milk from dairy cows fed potato meal than from those fed corn meal. The potato-fed cows produced milk having 0.12 per cent higher butterfat and butterfat having 7.14 more units of vitamin A per gram than those fed corn. Cullison (4) reported gains of 1.84 pounds per day for steers fed dried sweetpotatoes, as com- pared to 1.80 pounds for those fed corn. It required 6.30 pounds of con- centrate to produce one pound of gain in the steers fed potato meal as compared to 7.34 pounds for the steers fed corn, In the Atmore experiments (9), sweetpotato vine silage gave 23 per cent higher gains than corn silage and returned '6.83 per ton, as compared to an assigned base price of 42.00 per ton for corn silage. On a basis of the feeding tests cited and others (4, 6, 11, 15), it would seem that .raw or undried sweetpotatoes have a feeding value equal to about one third or one fourth that of corn and that dried potatoes have a feeding value about equal to corn pound for pound. Furthermore, the vines have been shown to have a high value as silage and as a grazing crop (2, 3, 9). Relative yield of food from one acre of swootoctatoos and one acre of corn. Experiments at various points in Alabana extending over a period of 1 to 11 years have given potato yields having a feeding value per acre of 1,3 to 5.6 times that of corn. The average food produced from swoot- potatoes on 14 sites at 8 locations in the State avoragod 2.9 times that produced from corn at the same places. Those results are given in Table 1. It should be explained that the figures in column 4 show the equi- valent bushels of corn represented by the yields of potatoes in column 3. The figures in column 6 are the ratio of fooeed produced on one acre of swoot- potatoes as compared to one acre of corn. Thus, on the Gulf Coast Substa- tion at Fairhopo, 432 bushels per acre of swuetpotatoos weoro produced on a Norfolk fine sandy loam soil. This yield was oquivalent in foding value to 144 bushels of corn. The avorago corn yield, however, on comparable soil at the same station was 40 bushels per acre; the food, thoreforo, pro- ducod on one acre of swootpotatoos was 3.7 times that produced from one acre of corn. The samo information is given for each place in the test. One 0f the most interesting comparisons of the relative amounts of feed that may be expected from one acre of corn and one of swootpotatoos comes from Jones County, Mississippi, whore records were kept of the yield of potatoes produced by farm.rs for the Laurel Starch Plant. The average yield of swootpotatoos produced in 1938 and 1939 by the 50 farmers in the study was 188 bushels per acre equal in feeding value to 63 bushels of corn (IO). The actual yield of corn obtained by the same farmers was 16,3 bushels per acre. Those farmers wero thus producing almost four times as much food per acre from swootpotatoos as from corn. t4 - Tablo 1. Yiolds and RelDativo Amount of Food Producod from tan Acro ofSwootp tIto0 and from (a-n Acro of Corn at Difforont Locations in Ala-.buma Svwootpotatoos Corn 'Yiold' food v a1 u . f,,Yield IRatio Solsre por in corn par V,)tCotatoos acI CroC-1 oquiva,.lont Eoc ru to corn 1 (Bushels) (Bushol's) ]Bushols) South Alnbcmai Fairhopo :Norfolk 432 144 40 3.6 Fa,-,irhopo QOrangoburg 417 139 40 3.6 Fairhopo 'Norfolk 423 141 40 3.5 Browiton :Norfolk 134 35 1.4 Monroovll rnoburagobr243 38l 523 ContralAITat: Auburn Chostorffiold .336 112 30 3.7 Auburn :Chostorfi. i-d 50719 30 5.6 2/: Auburn !Chosterfield 34 116 4*42 2/ Auburn No r-foclTk281 94 2234. Prattvillo Groenvil11e 202 67 35 1.9 Prakttvillo Ncrf olk 11593 30 1.3 Thorsby Ruston 221 74 35 2.P1 North Alabcaa, Bollo Ninca Decat ur 29 4 98' 37 2o.6 Crossvillo :Hartso11,a 183 1 35 147 -5- Relative yield of food from one a.,cre of southorn swootpot tos end one acroe of Iowa corn. The yiold of corn inlow is tho highost in tho Nation; it is throoee times the yield of corn in AlabFm. For Alabama far- mors to compote on even torms with Iowa farmors 'in livostock production, they nood a crop which will produce as much carbohydrates per acre as Iowa corn. The sweetpotato can do this, In Ttble 2 o givon the yieldq of potatoes at difforont points in Alaba-ma, also those near the Laurel Starch Plant, and the relative amount of foed produced on an acre of swotpotatoos at each placo as comparod to that produced on an acre of corn in Iowa Table 2. Relative Amount of Food from an icro of Southern Sweetpotatoos and an i-cr of Iowa Corn #Yld of to-1- :Yield of ~Yiold of swot-; Ratio swoot- potatoos ox swootpotatoos Plarce potatoes pressod in its to _r-1 _1__4_U :p er acre crn quivalent corn (Bushels) (Bushels) Avo. yield of Iowa corn 1928-39 Ave. yield swootpotatoos 8 places 296 99 2.61 in abma 1-11-yer raverag Swootpottoos 241 0 2.11 Auburn - Fiold No. 1 Swootpotatos 281 94 2.49 Auburn - Field No. 2 Swetpotat 003 Swtpottoos349 116 307 Auburn - Field N34 3 Sweetpottoes 507 169 4.47 Auburn - Field No. 4 Swootpotatoes 16655 1.45 1939 Jonos County, Iiss. Swootpotatoes 200 66 1.74 1938 Jones County,Miss. 1/ Ratio of food from an acro of southorn swoeotpotatos 'nd an acre of Iowa corn. The average yield of feed preducod from potatoos on the 14 oxpori- montal sites in Alabama was 2.61 timos the avorago producod from Iowa corn. It should be pointod out, howover, that the petatos in the Alab or extensive st chorge In Table 3 oIre given thu yield, the Er"ss tn n h u 'lue of swetpl--to:: trees produced on the 14 sites af-t , 1cAions in where rc irds are 1Viilfble as cc .mp rod t'.- -the 3yioldend vlue f c'orn -Athe s'!-me pla"cs. It is p ointed ).ut thc't the aveorfogI v' lue ,f sw-tp tr t es above all costs wos 3 per cent higher the-n the gro ss value fTc.in at the some plces, ThO. net rturns fromvrg sw4. tp7 t9t -vrewhioh is -_b!--:ut 3 timeos that fr ,m Tcorn. The rturns frri'11 C rc f Swetp tat.es, evn a t the lwE. vtlu fh 25 cts pr buhel, r elitin withreturns from fild crps nd highr thn returns fr-%m gr.in or ps. On tho h-and, it shl:uld be .. iited t ha-t a pin fit f r p7tt e c,:n't buexpected fr'm L;-,w yilds. Yi)lds -'f approxim1telyl 130 bushels per r t ra t broolk btwoen pro:-fit (er.nd 1 ss aIt 25 ceYnts poir busl. The brink would come at ab-ut 115 bushels p-r rro if p.-)ta t ois sh iuld sell1f r 30 ce Per bushel, r 't 100 bushls per '1co oif they sh itd would. probbly be sfo asuute that prices ebv25centsprbushel wuld be lo'rgely absorbed by c,'.,rrusp - ding increo .ses i n the cst fleb-rand maer~i's during the wr and f ,.!-r s E tiefte th . yieldf130 bushe. ls, h V r, will privido ab-;ut l4i. ;;rth f lab r i addition t'',the v .luo -f plcnts if gr mn n the frm. tmiht be p inted:'ut tht th, rnvides nl ~t ~ wrh l~bop , cre a-nd is groWn -1t a&df inite lolss i1f thslb- sdded t,-)'the,' (hur oh' rges agcin st theo r- p, yet 1klab maticin 1939 ha,-,d 45 Per cent (.-f its -creDp -cre~tge in rn It is -,f h igh impor tta7n ce tha-It due ons ierat b given t- the relAive values cre'- ted -.- the or f r Mon y twoi or. -psc'rpre. t is arec gnized f a ct tha-,t the f ie-ld or:-ps caf the S -.uth -when pr 'ducin'g lnly aveorage yields harve n- -t bQen grwn i prrfit; they hflve (-nly prvidked a i-vdust returnfr the '1-lebor)' of the fatrmer?1 a-nd his fam-ily. Va--)lue fP-o meiasured fa-c reo.f sweetp -to t e a cm- edt ar ~fc. In 1941 a study ws 0 e -dtrn htr rtu n ight be expecte~d fr( m an -cef p,"-\tafCt, kus-n d iJIh 't we ore t h 1lob r rouirements 'nd o -.st fact ;rs m'v, ;lved. Thia ) yie ld -.f c! rn v..7 s fo-ls otrinid n the ai -7 Table 3. Comparative Roturns froml One i lcre of' Corn and One A1cre of Swoetpotatoos Swoetpotcatoes Cocrn____ Av(,)o GosEtvl JV rs s~au Place iSoil series0 yield roturns; abovoe1yield ;roturnls:fAbove PGor U ll costs~por ~alcosts (Buo) (ol.) (D: y7 j7, (Dol) South 1Jbra Frairhope ;Norfolk 432 108*00 674,23 40 ;30.00 13*53 Fa--,irhopo Orngeburg 417 101*25 63*94 40 .0 13.53 Fairhope Norf, 1k 423 :105v75 65*26 40 :30.00 13.53 Brewton :N (-,r fk 143 3 5.75 3*66, 35 ;26 25 10 68 MonrceOvi11e Or-.ng-0obug 243 60.75 25*66 3 26. 106 ia-uburn 'Chesterfield' 336 84.00 46*22 30 :22 w50 782 a-,uburn .Chastorfield 5 07 126.25 790 30 2.0 78 Aiuburn ;Chesterild' 349 87.25 43.78 28 210 6.5 8 Auburn 2Nr~~ 81 70.25 26.22 22 150 35 Prettvillo Groonvillc" 202 50.50 16.64 35 26*25 10.68 Prattville ;Norf'olk 115 28.75 2.50 30 22.50 7.82 Tha-Jrsby iRuston 221 55.25 11302:35 26o25 10.68 Northi-ba: Belle Mina Deca-,t ur 2941 3.0 1.68 3 2.50182 Crossville Hartsells .183 45,w75 h Lo 26 26.*25 6 .kvorxage 296 74.00 34.v79 34 25o28 9.94 ~/Cost of~ producing pot-,)t(-os based rn - 1 per Y1ifor pl'rnts, plus c)s t 0of fertilizer used, plus af ixcd charg "1~0 f cr labor and othor charges Table 4. Compar ative Value of Crn and Swoetpotatoes from an cre Value above Value above Crops Yield Gros cost of lbor purchsed vulue 1 and materials material Swoetpoto roots 349 bu. 87.25 2.39 72.95 2/ Vines 7132 lb. 17.83 14.93 217.83 Total 105.08 67.37 90.8 Corn 276 bu 20.70 6.5 17.20 / Corn valued at 75 cents per bushel, potatoos at 25 conts per bushel, and grooeen vines at V5 per ton. j The cost of fortilizers, plants, and the abor of growing charged to the root erops; only the cost of harvesting, hauling, nd shrodding the vines charged to the vine crop. The gross returns from the rIoLsurd acr of potatoes was 1058 for the potatoes and vine silago, as comprd to 20.70 for the corn After all costs for labor and m aterial were deductod, there was a return of 67.37 for potatoes, as compared to 6 .45 for crn. The value of potatoes above costs was 3.25 times the gross value of corn. Cost of producing oquivalent units of food from sweetpotatoos and corn. In addition to providing more labor 'and giving larger prfits per acre than corn and producing three times the amount of food as corn, swoet- potatoes can be produced in the Soth at a lower cost for equivalent food units than corn. Several comparisons may be given, In 1941 tests at iuburn (Tables 4 and 5), a moesured acre of pota- toes produced 349 bushels, which was equivalont in fooding value to 116 bushels (f corn. The cost of producing and harvosting the potatoes (root crop ohly) was 434.86. Potatoes equivalent t: one bushel of corn, therefore, cost 30 cents. On a basis of corn yields in the same experiment and apply- ing past figures for the Southost (1), the approximote cost (f producing one bushol of corn was 53.3 cents. By a mimilar comparison, potatoes equivalont tr one bushol of corn as produced in the Stato-wido tosts cost approximately 31,6 cents, as com- pared to an approximate c st f r corn of 45,2 cents per bushel. Similarly, it costs the farmers supplying the Laurel Starch Plant 75 cents to pr duco potatoes equivalent to one bushol of corn, as comrared t o cost of 76.5 cents required to pr duco one bushel of corn (10). Other Consideroti ns and Comparis'ns There are other points of importence tivt shculd be considered in fitting the swotpotato as a cr p into S uthern agriculture. It is important to know the labor requirements of the cr p and the labor returns from the crp alng ith the cQt of producti: n and returns. It is imp rtapt also to have s100ii idec, of the sea-sun-l distribution f the labor needed fr pOtt: S. i comporisn,- of the cost of producticn tend returns frim sweet- pctotr.aos a-nd s-me groin crcp \thor thein corr*sWuld beof S )me interest,, Cost of producing one arefro swoetp totes. In 1941 a study ws made by this Station to dotormine th 0 labor requiromonts ond the cost cf prl-)ducing oa mueasured ocre of swootp-tetnos, No special machinery wos used, and n-: charges were made for lend rental or taxes. Boh roots end vines were harvested end used. Thu results of this studyao given in Table 5, A ,tottll of 99 IrTn h -,urs r-nd 41 mule 1? -urs was required t.gr-w ,nd hr'rvest the acre of potat.-es. Studies in Mario-n Cunty, Alabama, indicated o labor requirement of 8.27 mn de;ys eLnd 6.91 mule days f r 1noacre-f sweetpottes, with the la-rger port of the lab- being required in April end Octt.;bar (14). In the studies near the Laurel Starch Plant, 123 man hours and 58 mule hurs were required to grow endharvest oea rf ptatoes (10), The lab .r usod in the study at the b Station was experienced in handling h _rticulturl cro-ps aind probably required less time theIn cormmon inexperiencod -field br wuld require. The ttal csts f labor a-nd materils for the cr in the study wa-s 437.71. Of this am ,i unt 4pI4.20 represented the cost of mtrials purchaDsed off the fairm. The acre, theref -re, pr)vide and plants in additio:n to giving a returnf )f ; 677 ,bovethe0Co materials for returns on the investment, lend renlnd supervision (se Table 4). If all returns are credited to the enterprise ,the one(acre of potat-)es provided returns of '90.88 to the frm. The cost studies n;r tho L aurel Starch Plant indicatedat( tal cost .f prnducti n per f 1cre l.88 which included land rental of . Seasonal distribution of lo-ba-r requrA for the sweetpot,-A crop.* The la rger part of the la'b r needed t , produce e.:,nd hairvest potot-,es will be required at two pe-rirds;, the first, during the mr-nth of pril (or cuirly May in N ,-Irth U _Tq.%leabiemo) for preparing the lend, applying the feortilizerr ad setting the plants; th e second, during the mnth )f Oct bar for harvesting the crop. Asma,,ll amut flbr will be required in Maq-y :and 3uno fo-r cultivating en:d hoeing. This wvill be divided 1a1p pr i .xima,,tely a.-s followvs: 40 per cent required in 1'.1pril;) 40 t,. 45 per cent required in Octcber; and 15 to 25 per cent required in M'ay enid Tfuno. This will moai0,1n sine conf lict with cotton fo-r lab,.r in 3-pril a-t plfnting tinec., There will n-t be serious conflict with ccttto.n at the thor tw( .perie-ds except in NcrTth Ailabatma.. In Cen_ _A__ tal andSouth1Aabama te Istt 1cr )p illben utIf"th way1bfore th -10 Table 5. Cost of Grwving One ar 'Swootp.t te(,)s Iviat tr i3 a'nl s 1,000 pounds 4"01L>7 ------- 12.00 10,000 Plants 0 75 cents per MO - 7.50 Labor o i rowing Breaking 1' ,nd- Laying off rmvis- Fotilizer .applied Disking - ----------- m Listing ------------------- Setting plants ---- - Cultivation (2-1/2)- ---- Hoeing----------- Labor ofH %rvesting Vineas raked off -------------- Plowing up potat(I)s----- Picking up pott--- s------- Loading & haluling potrt o e Loading & ouling vine Sub-~totr -,1 Totaol M.Fan Hours 4 frs. 40 min. 2 firs. 40 ruiln. 2 firs. 0ruin. 2 firs. 40 ruin . 4 firs. 0 ruin* 23 firs. 25 rin.1- 7 firs. 30 rin. 6 flr-o 20 rain. 53 firs. 15 ruin. 3 frs. 30 rim. 2 firs. 30 ruin. 126 firs. 0rain., 5 frs. 30 ruin. 8 firs. 30 ruin. 46 fis.a 0 ruin . 99 firs.135ruin. Mule H,.-urs 9 irs . 20 ruin . 2 firs. 40 rmin.* 0 hrs. 0 min. .5 firs. 20 rin.1 4 1Trs. 0 ruin. 0 hrs. 0 rin. 7 hirs. 30 muin, 0 firs. 0 ruin. 28 firs. 50 ruin. 7 fr s. 0 ruin. 5 frs. 0 uin. 12 frs. 0 min. 40 firs. 50 ruin. Sum ary 99.3 40.r 8 35#*0 1,000.r0 109000.90 non fiurs Qb 10 cents per hr. mue lurs 00 oconts per flr miles h,,aul 0 12 c,,r t s per ai. # 4-10-7 fertilizer 0',24 per T. pl-ants61 75 centsPerI'd.* To()tal1 Cost. 9 9.9 3 4. 0 4 *20 12.00 7.50 ,37.*71 Prnducts - 349 bushels pot/-t ,s 7132 pounds of vines .L/ Distance ef foul 2-1/2 nis achay. Purofi' sod off fai 12.00 V14 t20 Furn i shed On f Carm S9.93 7.50 2 3 23.51 W'JU\~LLIL~i-, w LL~-C~c~l-LIF;5 V ~L ~LLVU CI v rrr u 1 1"11 w Based on M -rrison s tibles (16) one bushel of swtpta 150 pounds nd ts 22.9 p undo f totll digestiblo nutrients. With what is known of the relt-itive feeling vlue ti f corn -nd wetpotatoes, it w uld appear that one bushel of ts woud be quivl.6bushelsof undried, ,r row, sweetp,tt.-.es. On a basis of tc y potarltoes '-n iilbaMa frrs, an pprx imat yield of 53 bushels -foats w uld be required to give the some feed per acre swotptat,.es The average yield of 'ats in j:il~ibrima, however, .ver the 102 p d.3 bushels per acre )r ab-ut 'no-third the yield necessary to produce the some feed as an acre of potat,.,cs. Based n Mthe avorage yeilds of the tvDrpS t bushel wuld gross abut 'e.24 per acre; swootp -tote 3 n bushel would r:-ss ab -ut a;25420 per acre. The yield of swoetpotatos in the Satc-wide tests (Table 1) was 296 bushels per acre. The yields of oats n the xprimont Fields and Substatio-ns htvo voraged a-lb ut 65 bushels per dr.T 296 bushels (f sweetpvttos should hve a vaue f about185 bushels f t The feeds therefore, produced at these loc ;tikns frrm menocr ftcPesws about three times that frm ,ne ucroe f ats The value of the 65 bushels f"T r-,- ts a"ct 45 centp be 1 29.25 per acre as e-mpa-rod: to , -,8880 fr t he 296 bushelsfp t t 30 cents per bushel. Swe0ttpti,-_,t!oos f; r bo1-t-h livest -,ck and ryrket. The i s ften advanced that the wll-shpcpd unifmi pc;ta.t -es -pr-per sizemay be sold as a high grade market ptt1c,loving the thr Certainly where the market will Pbsirb the better pot-tes at a fair t good price, it would be well to tko advantag e )f tho opprtunity to)disps. of such quantities of potatoes a-s mafiy movo on the mrie above that which stock fod co-uldemand -Hoeve rit w, uld beo a as t serious error to lassuri. tha t the S uth ca,-,n grea-t ly increase the pr,--,du ct ion )f sweetpetfatoes for livesto"'ck use -nd be a-)ssuro-,d of a market r the 50 to 0 ercent r f high qua,.lity p -tal)t moo)sthatmihtb epetd1r mA greatly increased acreage- rfietckfe.This shk uld b1ep1 n id The m _arket will n(,t be available forx this qu: ,ntity of qua-.lity potatc es. There will be in tile South Cafter the wa.r n11 problemr gre' ,ter than7,1 that cft finding sufficient acres r.f land to support the farm ipopulation on a fair sta,)ndard of living. It will inot be p,-ssiblu t- incre' -se mtria lly the acrs f1coplanqutIt il.b sIbl b-coeIf ros Ii 012 - The dta presented in this report sim)w that Ix 'ut three times as much feed can bo pr(;duced fr( m one racre A'f sweetp t't-SrS fr,-no acre A'D corn, and that the gr-ss !-nd net roturns fr ptts cn higher than from c rn. The same relations hoivo on shown t'hold with lats. Other publications f this Station (7, 9) shrw tht potot osmake an excellent livesto-ck fed; still other publications (12, 18) sh how pcotit! es ca~n be ccnverted on the farm, with!-ut great est or expensive equipment, from a succulent and perishable pr duct t!1Cstaple cncntrte. It wtuld, thoref 're, appear that prtgrc ssive farmers should divert at least a part of their crn acrege oto -sweetpo;tatoes 1 r labor will be required )fr an ocre :f sweotp-tatous thani for a) n acre if c in, but grterr n fr the la-bor required aind grea-ter net returns above all costs mybe expected fr.,-m a well-grvwn acre of potates than from the som crofcorn or ots, While it would be Unwise for a f('rrier to replace his completecorn acrege with sweetptt!es, it might be well to point cut several possi- bilities; first, it would be possible for afarmer t!plCnt 40 per cent of his nrmal corn acrea-ge to c r, 20 per cent tou 4+0 per cent f,;r some new or different cash crpa still prdUCE an equivale nt a-m.mount nf food on his entire corna g r soc nd it would be possibl for him toplant two -thirds f his n rml c acreage t t.-corn, one-third to swetpo ttos, fand have two-thirds nm(re(edthnfmcr planted on the entire n rrmal Cacreage. If a fa-_rmer sho:-uld pla,-nt cne-half of the curn acreage to swoetpaaos he should h,,,lo twice as much feed available for an exp(and.1ed livest-. ck pro-gram a--)s he has no-,rmai-'lly had. The pnssibliliti-es offer t miiu c h t b e patssed (ver Witho)ut giving serious consideration t the placef this cr p oen every farm where sweet- potatoeas are k.Inown t,.--pro~duce well. It shnuld be emphasized tbof4t th1ecmaics oehv been- based on n -)rmal and not wartime costs atnd values. During pcrn ' ds o--f critical lao-hrae nd high wages a--,nd of high prices and high demai-_nd for nma-1rket potatoes, it will be to the advantcageo) f the farmeir to direct his offorts to the production of market po'ttos. 1" 13 Literature 1) gricultural Statistics. U.S.D.A. p. 5689 1940, (2) Bienniacl Topp ?t (Seath, D. lI.) N'"rth La, ~r Expt. Ste. 1939-40. (3) ennttH. . md Gi~ger, avn SwOetp!A -tt vine silcage. Miss. Akgr, EIxpt. Ste.. Iforr.a, Seect N-, 215. S()Cullisen, E.i. Dried sw(;Otp-,tCat( uSed i~n xrti *n for fInishing ca-lves. M'iss. Farrm IResoarch. M.-iss. Ex. pt. Stf-. * lug 194. S(5) Duggar, J. F. Grazing ad~ei~ xeiet with pigs.Al.gr Exptv Stn.# Bul, 122. 1903. ' (6) E dwaLIr ds , F . RP.,nd(',1.a s s ey, Z. A.Sweetptat as as (A food fI~ie Gas Expt. Sta. Bul. 181. 1934. (7) Grimeos, T. C. Summiary of results in fattening steers. Aila. kgr. Expt. Stae. 1"mxngr-ph. 19140. (8) Grimes, T. C. Swuotp':tt -moal rand ,sweetpotat- pulp cas a substitute f "0r C, rn i n a r at i n f r f attoning steers. 1dir ap. la Ar Expt. St . 1941. >"k(9) Grimes,$ X. C. Raw swev Qtp .tt asan swooetp tt. meal cas feeds fa-r fattening steers. MIinevgra.,ph. Alat. 1Agr. Expt. Stel. 194g., (10 Gumn, Marvin, Tarvin, D, W,, and Huff, A. T~. Foct .fr success on starch swGeetptatr and genra~(-l farms in n enus C un t y. is.Lgr. Expt, Sta. Bul. 352. 1940. (11) Taccb. M., Hazu-lw,. P.,0 and DuncanM, H. P. Steer feeding experi- ments. VWest Tann, Expt. Sta. TM~iar.gra-ph Prf,-gress Report. (12) Kurnmr, F.,ii, . Shre-dding equipment for drying sweetp, -ta acs. lA# Expt. St". hilim.greph. %Tan. 1942. --(.3) 'Lease, E. J., and LI)Itchell, ZT. I1. Binchemical af.nd nutriti-nal studties o~f dehaydrated sweetp-t"-tlocs. rp. C. Aigr. Expt. St.i Bul. 329.194+0. (14) Marion County planning jnf-rein- .r aureet frMr i n G cunty cm ps. Ala. Agr. Expt. Stu. "e-nd U.S.D.A' . Bu' Agr. Ect-n. (15) Massen r-y, . . wetpt'Trea a ar'I pCdcig atInfrdar -14 (18) VUarot L. 111. Dry-ing svlotp'~t tus k *Ila. iOr.xpt. Sta. ldimnoogrcph Serios N(). 13. Reprint J-an. 1945. (19) ViC*4rc ,, L.K. Prcducing swootp,-,tatros for livcsto-)k fcod. I'Ja. -gr* Expt. Sta. Dopa~rtmront M~imoogro--.h No. 11, Tune, 1942. (20) Yoorb-ok r-f 'ricultiuro F(,d, e)nd if.U*S.D.*." g. Ps 325. 1939.