LEADING VEGETABLE CROPS l6l 



house or hotbeds should be so handled as to receive 

 no check in their growth before transplanting to the 

 field. The eggplant requires much higher tempera- 

 ture than its close relative, the tomato, and cannot 

 be safely transferred to field conditions in the North 

 before June first. The distances for planting 

 will vary somewhat with the varieties, but rows 

 three feet wide with the plants two feet apart in the 

 row, or rows four feet with the plants three feet 

 apart in the row are common distances. 



Cultivation should be continuous throughout the 

 season in order to make available the large amounts 

 of moisture necessary for good growth. Horse cul- 

 tivation must be discontinued as soon as the fruits 

 become large enough to be injured by these tools. 

 Hand cultivation should be kept up considerably 

 longer. 



The eggplant is very easily handled and usually 

 reaches the market with little loss. Care should be 

 taken, however, to avoid bruising. Wrapping the 

 fruit gives some added protection and can be made 

 the means of profitable advertising. 



The yields are always heavier in warmer sections 

 and in hot summers. At best the results are un- 

 certain under northern conditions, and the plant is 

 grown only in limited areas. 



Two common insect enemies attack the eggplant. 

 The flea beetle often becomes very troublesome and 

 the Colorado potato beetle likewise is serious. 

 The latter insect seems to relish the foliage 

 of the eggplant somewhat better than that of the 

 potato. Bordeaux mixture for the flea beetle and 

 arsenate of lead for the potato beetle will readily 

 hold these pests in check. 



The principal varieties of the eggplants commonly 



