THE TOMATO, THE EGO-PLANT, AND THE CAPSICUM. 591 



The fruit of the Orange gourd is bitter; and that of the Bottle 

 gourd is said by Dr. Royle to be poisonous. The Bottle gourd is at 

 first long and cylindrical, like a cucumber, but as it ripens it swells 

 chiefly at the upper end, thus acquiring the form of a Venetian bottle. 

 After being gathered, the end of the neck where it was attached to the 

 plant is cut off, the pulp and seeds carefully taken out, and the interior 

 repeatedly washed, so as to remove the bitter principle which consti- 

 tutes the poison. 



Culture. All the sorts are propagated exclusively by seeds, which, 

 being large, require to be covered with nearly an inch of soil. They 

 may be sown in April, in a hotbed, under glass, or in a stove, to raise 

 plants for transferring to the open garden, at the end of May, under a 

 warm aspect ; or for planting out in the middle of May, on a ridge of 

 hot dung, under a hand-glass or half-shelter ; otherwise sow at the 

 beginning of May, under a hand-gkss, without bottom heat, for trans- 

 planting into a favourable situation ; or sow three weeks later (after 

 the 20th) at once in the open garden, under a south wall, for the 

 plants to remain. The smaller-fruited kinds do best trained to an 

 upright pole or trellis. As the runners extend five feet or more, peg 

 down at a joint, and they will take root. Water copiously whenever 

 warm weather without showers makes the ground arid ; and thin out 

 the shoots where they are crowded. With those kinds the fruit of 

 which is gathered green, by no means allow any to ripen, because that 

 would stop the production of young fruit ; and where the fruit is to be 

 used ripe, or where it is allowed to ripen for the production of seed, 

 do not allow more than one, if the kind is large, or two or three, if it 

 is middle-sized or small, to ripen on a plant. Where the walks of a 

 garden are covered with wire trellis-work, of the kind indicated in 

 figs. 120 and 121, they may be covered with the smaller-fruited 

 species, and even with cucumbers and water-melons during summer 

 when shade is desirable for the walk ; while, in winter, the trellis will 

 be left naked to admit the sun and air to dry the gravel or flag-stone. 



The Tomato, the Egg-plant, and the Capsicum. 



The tomato or love-apple (Lycopersicum esculentum, Dunal) is 

 a trailing annual, a native of South America, which when ra sed in 

 a hotbed, and afterwards planted against a wall in the open air, will 

 ripen its fruit in England. The fruit, which is an irregular rad or 

 yellow berry from one inch to four inches in diameter, is seldom eaten 

 raw, but when ripe is used in soups and sauces, and for other purposes 

 in confectionery and cookery ; and in a green state it is pickled. The 

 juice is made into a sauce, which is considered excellent both for 

 meat and fish. The best variety is the Trophy Tomato, though 

 others, such as the Large Red, the tree variety, New Giant, New Rose, 

 and Early Prolific, are good. The Cherry-currant, and small red 

 and yellow are likewise interesting or ornamental varieties. The 

 seeds may be sown in a hotbed in March, and transplanted once or 

 twice into pots, so as to be ready to transfer to the base of a south 



