Vegetables with Edible Fruits 161 



examined frequently to see that they do not become pot- 

 bound. They should be shifted to a larger pot as soon as 

 the soil is permeated by the roots. This may be tested 

 by removing the soil from one of the pots, which may be 

 done easily as follows : Hold a pot upside down and press 

 on the bottom ; the soil will come out and the condition 

 of the roots can be examined without difficulty. As soon 

 as the roots have taken up most of the space in the pot, 

 the plant should be shifted to a larger one. 



The seeds may also be sown at once in 4-inch pots, or in 

 strawberry baskets, and set out from these in the field. 

 In Louisiana the early plants are often protected by single 

 panes of glass. Soaking the seeds twenty-four hours 

 before sowing causes quicker germination. 



If the plants show any signs of yellowing, they may be 

 restored to health by a light application of liquid manure. 

 They should not be transferred to the field until two weeks 

 after danger of frost is past ; and if the spring is cold and 

 backward, it is better to keep the plants under the pro- 

 tecting cloth. Some vegetable-raisers may object to this 

 method as being expensive. However, it does away with 

 the first two plowings, and the plants are further advanced, 

 and so less subject to insect and fungus attacks. The 

 striped cucumber beetle and aphis rarely get a start on 

 pot-grown plants. The amount of seed required will be 

 reduced to a minimum. The most important considera- 

 tion, however, is that the first pickings will be two weeks 

 or a month earlier than they would have been had the seed 

 been planted in the field. 



Another very successful method, and one that is em- 

 ployed a great deal, but is somewhat more crude, is to 



