s 700 bushels; that of the common potato exported from the United
States, 1820-21, 90,889,000 bushels; in 1830-31, 112,875,000 bushels;
in 1840-41, 136,095,000 bushels; in 1850-51, 106,342,000 bushels.

The sweet potato is cultivated generally in all the intertropical
regions, for the sake of its roots, and as a legume in temperate
countries. In the Southern States of North America, the culture ceases
in Carolina under latitude 36 degs.; in Portugal and Spain it reaches
to latitude 40 and 42 deg.; and as a legume its cultivation is
attempted to the vicinity of Paris. In India it is a very common crop;
its tubers are very similar to the potato, but have a sweeter taste,
whence the common name; but it must not be confounded with the
topinambur (_Helianthus tuberosus_), a native of Brazil, which is less
cultivated. The root contains much saccharine and amylaceous matter.

Several marked varieties of the sweet potato are raised in the
Polynesian groups. In some islands it forms the principal object of
cultivation.

It is grown in the Northern districts of New Zealand, at Zanzibar,
Monomoisy, Bombay, and other parts of the East Indies. They are
raised on the bare surface of the rock in some parts of the Hawaiian
islands, and a sourish liquor is procured from them. It was early
cultivated on the Western Coast of Africa, for the Portuguese Pilot
(who set out on his voyages to the colony at St. Thomas, in the Gulf
of Guinea) speaks of this plant, and states that it is called "batata"
by the aboriginals of St. Domingo. They are abundant at Mocha and
Muscat. Sweet potatoes form a principal and important crop in the
Bermudas.

A valuable addition has lately been made to the votaries of the sweet
potato in Alabama, supposed to be from Peru. A letter describing it
says:--"It is altogether different and equally superior to any variety
of this root hitherto known. It is productive, and attains a
prodigious size, even upon the poorest sandy land, and the roots
remain without change from the time of taking them out of the ground
until the following May. The plant is singularly easy of cultivation,
growing equally well from the slip or vine, the top or vine of the
full-grown plant being remarkably small; the inside is as white as
snow. It is dry and mealy, and the saccharine principle contained
resembles in delicacy of flavor fine virgin honey."

There is in general a great error in cultivating this root, as most
people still plant