Vegetables with Edible Fruits 199 



Soil and preparation. 



Eggplant requires good rich loam that is very deep. It 

 is a deep feeder, consequently it cannot stand moist or 

 soggy land. The plowing should be deep and thorough. 

 Any refuse material or decaying vegetable matter should 

 be removed from the field. 



The field should be laid off in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, and 

 the plants set from 2 to 4 feet apart in the row, depending 

 upon the variety and the fertility of the soil. In setting 

 plants in the field, they should be placed an inch or so 

 below the level at which they stood in the hotbed or cold- 

 frame. 



Fertilizer for eggplants. 



The fertilizer should be made up of the following in- 

 gredients: ammonia, 5 per cent; available phosphoric 

 acid, 5 per cent ; potash, 9 per cent. Use 1500 to 2500 

 pounds to the acre of this formula. This plant is very 

 sensitive to improper use of fertilizer, shedding its fruit 

 or failing to set it at all if improperly fertilized or set in 

 badly prepared soil. Consequently, there are many cases 

 of failure, and it is very difficult to tell what is the matter 

 with the plant, as the symptoms of many ailments are so 

 similar that they cannot be distinguished. A successful 

 way of applying the fertilizer is to make a double furrow 

 where the row is to be. A portion of the fertilizer should 

 be applied down the row and a part of the soil that has 

 been thrown out mixed in; then more of the fertilizer 

 applied and more soil worked in. This should be con- 

 tinued until the fertilizer has been deposited evenly 



