412 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



lo per cent each of phosphoric acid and potash should 

 meet the requirements of this crop. When grown for 

 the cannery it is desirable to haul the vines back to the 

 farm for their fertilizing value. 



560. Planting. — For the earliest crop the seed should 

 be planted in March or as soon as the ground can be 

 prepared. Wrinkled varieties are often planted as early 

 as the smooth sorts, but it is safer to plant them a trifle 

 later. For the fall crop in the North, the dwarf varie- 

 ties should be planted early in August.- 



The depth of planting must be determined by the char- 

 acter of the soil and the season of the year. For the 

 first planting, shallow covering, probably with only an 

 inch of soil, is an advantage, although 2 inches would 

 not' be too much in light soil. As the season advances, 

 planting should be deeper, so that the roots will be where 

 the soil is cooler and more moist. When planted S or 6 

 inches deep, the covering should be shallow at first, and 

 the furrows gradually filled in after the plants are up. 



Planting distances depend upon the height of the 

 vines, whether the vines are to be supported or not, and 

 the purpose of the crop. When grown for the cannery 

 they are often sown with a grain drill, and the crop 

 harvested with a mowing machine and a hay rake. They 

 are also sown broadcast sometimes, and the seed har- 

 rowed in. When sown in drills the space between rows 

 varies from 18 incTies to 3 feet. It generally pays to use 

 plenty of seed, especially with dwarf varieties. (See 

 table in Chapter XXV.) 



561. Supporting the vines. — When grown for commer- 

 cial purposes the low varieties are generally planted and 

 no support is provided. In smaller plantations, brush is 

 often used. A neat, convenient method is to plant in 

 double rows 6 to 8 inches apart, and stretch poultry 

 netting of the proper height between the rows. Another 

 very good plan is'to drill in single (or double) rows, 



