FORGING-HOUSE MISCELLANIES. 299 



Acting on the above hints several attempts have been made to 

 grow egg-plants in our forcing houses, with the object, however, of 

 fruiting them out of season. The first lot of seed was sown August 

 30, 1893. It embraced the following varieties : Black Pekin, New 

 York Improved, Early Dwarf Purple, Eound Purple, and Long 

 "White. The seed was sown about three-eighths of an inch deep in 

 rich potting soil. The flats, or shallow boxes, which contained the 

 seed were placed in a warm house, and the after treatment was very 

 similar to that commonly followed in the growing of tomatoes. 



The seedlings required pricking out about four weeks after the 

 seed was sown. They were set in 21 inch pots where they remained 

 until November 14th, when they were shifted into 4-inch pots. On 

 December 17th, or nearly sixteen weeks from the time of seed sow- 

 ing, the plants had filled these pots with roots, and they were again 

 shifted, but this time into benches. They were set 2 feet apart 

 each way. The soil was about 6 inches deep and different in char- 

 acter in each of the two benches used. One bench had been filled 

 with a mixture of equal parts of potting soil and manure from a 

 spent mushroom bed. This formed a very open and rich soil which 

 appeared to be capable of producing a strong growth. The second 

 bench received a rich, sandy loam which had previously been com- 

 posted with about one-fourth its bulk of stable manure. The tem- 

 perature of the house was that usually maintained in growing plants 

 requiring a considerable amount of heat ; during the night the 

 mercury fell to 65° or 60° and in the day time it stood at 70°-75°. 

 In the bright weather the house was still warmer. 



Considerable care was exercised in watering the plants, the soil 

 being kept somewhat dry ; when grown out of doors egg-plants 

 withstand drought so well that such a course seemed advisable 

 when growing them under glass. As the plants increased in size 

 the leaves shaded the soil, and an occasional thorough watering 

 maintained an excellent condition of moisture in the bed filled with 

 the loam. In addition, the soil was stirred with a hand weeder 

 when necessary. 



For some time, all the varieties in each bench appeared to be 

 doing uniformly well, but the plants set in the sandy loam made 

 a stronger growth and appeared to be more vigorous. This was 

 especially noticeable in the Early Dwarf Purple and the New York 

 Improved. The first bloom appeared on the former during the 

 last week in December, and on the 3d of January, 1894, several 



