98 On the culture of the Tomato and Egg Plant. 



By the first week in June, if the weather is fine and there 

 is a prospect of its continuance, put out the plants in the 

 ground designed for them, singly, three feet apart plant from 

 plant. This may appear to be a great distance between each 

 plant, to those persons who are not acquainted with the lux- 

 uriant growth they will make, if the ground has been well 

 manured and thoroughly mixed with the soil. If the plants 

 have not sufficient room allowed them, to grow and spread 

 their branches, the mistake will be found out when it is 

 too late to remedy the evil. A temporary trellis maybe 

 made at a trifling expense, to train the plants to, with a few 

 laths, and some stout strips of board, for stakes, to be driven 

 into the ground for uprights, to which the cross bars of laths 

 are to be fastened. If this system be followed, and the plants 

 occasionally tied to the trellis, the fruit will be clean and 

 handsome at the time of gathering for use; but if left to lay 

 upon the ground, the fruit would be often spattered over with 

 dirt by heavy rains, watering, &c. 



It will be necessary, at times, to thin out some of the weak 

 branches, in order to give the fruit all the light, air, and genial 

 rays of the sun that you possibly can; and by stopping the 

 shoots when the fruit is thickly set, and watering the roots if 

 there is a long continuance of dry weather, one can scarcely 

 fail of obtaining a good crop of tomatoes. 



The Egg Plant, (Solanum jMelongena,) — is also allied 

 to the potato. The seeds should be sown and the plants treat- 

 ed in the same manner as recommended for the tomato, until the 

 final planting out, which should be the first week in June. The 

 ground having had a good dressing with manure, and well dug 

 over, put out the plants two and a half feet apart every way; 

 keep the ground clear of weeds between the plants, by fre- 

 quent hoeings, and an ample crop will fully repay for all 

 the trouble. 



There are three varieties of this plant, viz. two of the 

 purple fruited, and the white. The purple is cultivated for 

 culinary purposes, and, when sliced and fried in batter, it very 

 much resembles in taste a very nice fried oyster. 



These remarks are intended for the perusal of individuals 

 who are novices in the art of gardening, and who have no fa- 

 cilities but the open air to work in. Where there are hot-beds 

 or green-houses, the seeds may be planted earlier, and the 

 plants forwarded so as to ripen their fruit much sooner. 



J. W. Russell. 



Mount Auburn, Feb. 20, 1841. 



