222 CROP GROWING AND CROP FEEDING 



at night till June. In the rich manured soil of the frames they grew 

 astonishingly, and were ready for market before the Charleston crop was in, 

 and brought, for the first, $4 per peach basket; the largest price we ever got 

 for egg plants. The gardener in the Upper South who is wise enough to in- 

 vest largely in glass, can always compete on favorable terms with those south 

 of him in the open ground. 



VARIETIES OF EGG PLANTS. 



The standard variety of egg plant in all the market gardens North and 

 South is that generally known as the New York Improved. There are many 

 strains of this. The Black Pekin is earlier, smaller and of fine quality. 

 The Early Long Purple is the earliest of the older sorts, but not grown for 

 market, as the market demands round sorts. We have grown this season, for 

 the first time, a variety from Italy which seems to be a cross between the Black 

 Pekin and Early Long Purple. It is of the same shape as the Long Purple, 

 with the purplish foliage of the Black Pekin. It is very early and wonder- 

 fully productive, and so far has resisted the blight which destroyed our New 

 York Improved to a plant in the adjoining rows. Its small size and odd 

 shape will be against it as a market sort, but in quality it is ahead of any- 

 thing we have ever tried in the egg plant family. It is common to see as 

 many as ten fruits on a plant ready to cut and many more forming. The 

 fruits are inclined to grow crooked like a crookneck squash. What the name 

 of this is we do not know, as the seed was sent us by number for trial from the 

 division of the Agricultural Department for the introduction of new plants. 

 We believe, at least for the family garden in the South it is a valuable 

 acquisition. 



FERTILIZATION. 



It is useless to try to grow egg plants unless the soil is rich and heavily 

 fertilized. They can be set on the land where the crop of early peas has been 

 gathered and the vines plowed under. But as the pea crop does not need the 

 heavy fertilization of other garden crops there should be an application of not 

 less than 1,000 pounds per acre of the mixture advised for the cucumber crop, 

 and, if possible, in the South at least, a further mulching of stable manure 

 on the surface after or just before the plants are set. 



