370 VEGETABLE FORCING 
ample space for dwarf varieties, especially if they are 
well supported by wires or by some other means. Peas 
should have a night temperature of 40 to 50 degrees and 
a day temperature of 55 to 60 degrees. The plants are 
very sensitive to heat and no attempt should be made to 
continue the crop after April 1. They grow better in 
solid ground beds than on raised benches, and plenty of 
water must be supplied during the entire period of forc- 
ing. The forcing of peas is seldom undertaken in 
commercial establishments. 
PEPPER 
The pepper is not forced to any considerable extent in 
either commercial or private establishments. The fruit 
of this vegetable stands shipment much better than the 
tomato, so that southern competition prevents the de- 
velopment of pepper forcing in the North. However, it 
is not a difficult crop to grow under glass. The plants 
are started in the same manner as tomatoes, and then 
shifted from 3 or 4-inch pots to the beds where the crop 
is to mature. The distance between plants in the beds 
should be determined by the space requirements of the 
variety selected. A foot between plants in the row is 
generally space enough for them, and the rows need not 
be more than 18 inches apart. Experiments at Cornell 
University seemed to indicate that the plants grow best 
at temperatures slightly lower than those required for 
melons and cucumbers, though excellent results were 
obtained in the same houses. The plants produced 
marketable specimens in 314 months from seed sowing. 
Sweet Mountain was the favorite variety in the Cornell 
experiments. It is important to force pure strains of 
the best sweet-fruited sorts. Artificial pollination, 
according to the Cornell observations, is unnecessary. 
