CHAPTER TWO 

 SOLANACEOUS CROP PROJECTS 



Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper 



The solanaceous plant family includes the tomato, potato, egg- 

 plant, pepper, Jimson weed, ground cherry, nightshade, tobacco, 

 and petunia. Most of the members of this family are natives of 

 tropical regions, which accounts for the fact that they are " tender " 

 and liable to injury from frosts when grown in temperate regions. 



Project I. Growing Tomatoes 



The tomato belongs to the family Solanaceae. It is usually 

 referred to as the Nightshade family. In this family the foliage 

 is strong-scented and in many species the fruit is poisonous or 

 narcotic. The tomato was early known as " Love Apple " and 

 was long regarded with suspicion, doubtless on account of its 

 undesirable relatives, such as the nightshades. It is a native 

 of South America, where it is still to be found in the wild condi- 

 tion. It has a fibrous root system. When the young plants are 

 transplanted some of the fine rootlets wilt or are destroyed and 

 new roots with greater vigor are developed. In this way trans- 

 planting may increase the vigor of the plants. 



The leaves are compound and stalked and arranged alternately 

 on the stem. Since the leaves are the food-making organs 

 of the plant, anything that interferes with their development 

 will affect the yield of fruit. If the leaves are not a healthy 

 green color, do not grow to full size, are injured by insects, or are 



37 



