CHAPTER XXII. 

 EGG PLANT. 



EGG PLANT. Solatium melongena. 



French, aubergine; German, eierpflanze; Flemish, eierplant; Italian, 

 petonciano ; Spanish, berengena ; Portuguese, bringela. 



Egg plant is one of the great vegetables in California; it is 

 great in size and quality, which are easily attained, and great in 

 its popularity. It is doubtful whether any part of the world makes 

 such free use of the plant, and enjoys it through so long a season. 

 Although the plant is properly classed as tender, and is somewhat 

 exacting in the starting of the seed and in transplanting, it grows 

 riotously when well established in a favorable location and soil; 

 fruits freely and continuously, and it is not unusual to find at Cali- 

 fornia fairs specimens of six pounds' weight, while fruit of two 

 and three pounds constitute common stock with the vegetable 

 peddlers. 



Location and Soil. Egg plant can be successfully grown al- 

 most everywhere in California, but there will naturally be much 

 variation in its season, according to the local occurrence of the 

 frost-free period. In the frostless belts, described in previous chap- 

 ters, it is feasible to start the plants in the autumn and secure a 

 very early crop; in most places, however, the plants can best be 

 grown with bottom heat in the winter, and fruiting secured all 

 through the summer and fall, if the nights are rather warm and the 

 dry heat not too fitful. 



As the plant will endure very high heat if well supplied with 

 moisture, and as it resists drought, when well established, it is well 

 adapted to interior conditions. It succeeds admirably in the in- 

 terior bottom lands if water is not excessive, and is perfectly at 

 home as well in the coast regions, both valley and uplands, if ade- 

 quately watered. It is not very exacting in soil character, and can 

 be safely undertaken on any good garden land if well cultivated and 

 manured ; for the plant is a strong feeder and should grow fast and 

 regularly. 



Growing the Plants. Egg plants can be easily grown from 

 seed by the use of seed-boxes, with bottom heat or in an ordinary 

 hot-bed, all of which are described in the chapter on propagation. 

 The seed should be covered about half an inch. Extra regard must 

 be had for maintaining a uniform and rather high temperature for 

 the starting and early growth of the seedlings. Transplanting the 

 seedlings, into other seed-beds or cold frames, twice before planting 

 out renders them more stocky. Planting out should only be done 

 when the soil is warm and in good moist condition, for it is neces- 



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