312 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



seed in drills in the open ground, thinning the plants 

 afterward to suitable distance. Moisture should be 

 evenly maintained by cultivation or irrigation as needed, 

 but excessive water is undesirable at all times from the 

 seed sowing onward. The plants will endure heat and 

 drouth, but the fruiting is deficient in size and quantity, 

 and for the best success, especially with the large varie- 

 ties, rich, light soil, well cultivated and adequately moist, 

 is a requisite. The distance between the plants depends 

 upon method of cultivation, nl the hand-worked garden, 

 the plants may be set a foot apart in rows, eighteen inches 

 distant from each other, but usually greater distance is 

 better, and for horse work the rows should be two or three 

 feet apart. 



Field Culture. Field culture for canning and for the 

 trade in dried peppers is pursued on a large scale in 

 southern California, especially in Orange county, on the 

 deep loams of the gentle slope oceanward. An outline of 

 methods is prepared from data furnished by Mr. Allan 

 Knapp of Anaheim, who is widely acquainted with local 

 experience in the pepper district. 



Seed. It is exceedingly important to have a good type 

 of plant, and this can be secured by selecting pods in the 

 field, to furnish seed for the following year, from low 

 bushy vines full of pods of medium length. A tall bush 

 will not produce as many pods and is more liable to be 

 broken by strong winds when loaded with fruit. Besides 

 the end of the pods from a low plant will rest on the 

 ground, and in that position they will prop up the 

 branches, providing you keep crowding a little earth to 

 the row at each cultivation, as will be described later. 



When these seed pods are gathered put them on a string 

 and hang up to dry against the south end of a building. 

 Do not put them into the evaporator when hotter than 

 110 to 115. They may stand more heat, but perhaps only 

 50% of the seed may germinate quickly, and the other half 

 may delay a week longer than those dried in the sun; 

 neither will it make so strong a plant. 



