CHAPTER XX. 



SOLANACEOUS CROPS. 



THIS is a big word, but it means only that 

 these plants belong to the nightshade 

 family. 



This division takes in tomatoes, eggplant, 

 peppers and husk tomatoes. These require 

 aU, or nearly aU, the season to mature, and they 

 keep on making growth, particularly in the 

 North, until killed by frost. They are all seed- 

 bed crops requiring a great deal of quick-acting 

 fertilizer, especially when they are young, and 

 to secure a heavy crop you must give them an 

 early start. 



TTiey are really of the same family as the 

 potato, yet they are not grouped with that crop, 

 because the parts eaten are the fruits which grow 

 on their stems and branches, rather than the 

 thickened stem or "tuber." They are hot-season 

 plants and are usually grown in hills. 



TOMATOES. 



In almost all parts of the United States the 

 tomato is easily grown; yet it requires a long, 

 warm season, and soil in excellent tilth for best 

 results. The seed is sown in a seed- or hot-bed, 

 and the plants are allowed to grow from four to 



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