Vegetables with Edible Fruits 205 



in the manufacture of chile con carne, paprika, curry 

 powder, tabasco sauce, and cayenne pepper ; and may be 

 readily preserved by drying in the sun. 



There is an increasing demand for peppers during the 

 winter months in the United States. While shipments of 

 large size cannot be disposed of very well, the demand in 

 small lots is often above the supply. Much of the product 

 for the northern and eastern markets has come in the past 

 from Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Peppers are 

 being more grown now in the southernmost states. 



Hotbeds and coldframes for peppers. 



For the regions in which freezing weather occurs, it will 

 be necessary to provide hotbeds to grow peppers, but where 

 frosts do not occur, or only occasionally, coldframes will 

 be sufficient. If located in a clay country the soil should be 

 composed of about one-fourth clay, one-half vegetable 

 mold, and one-fourth coarse sand, to which is added the 

 necessary fertilizer. The soil of the hotbed may be tested 

 by wetting it down thoroughly; if, after two or three 

 hours, the soil can be squeezed into a more or less solid 

 mass, there is not enough sand and too much clay in the 

 mixture. If, however, the mass does not remain in a body 

 but breaks up readily, the soil will be about right. On 

 the other hand, if the water drains off immediately, and 

 the soil becomes dry to the depth of one-half inch in the 

 course of four or five hours, in the sunshine or a gentle 

 wind, too much sand has been used and a little more clay 

 should be introduced. 



The rows should be made about 3 inches apart, and the 

 seeds dropped about three to the inch, and covered to the 



