492 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



pepper (though the pods are not always red), chilH, and capsicum. 

 The pods are much used in the South, and most Northern households 

 now employ them to some extent. 



Peppers are tender while young, although they will endure a heavy 

 frost in the fall. Their culture is that recommended for egg-plants. 

 A small seedsman's packet of seed will be sufficient for a large number of 

 plants, say two hundred. The large bell peppers (Fig. 312) are the 

 mildest, and are used for making stuffed peppers " and other dishes. 

 The small, hot peppers are used for seasoning and sauces. 



Potato. — The potato is rather more a field crop than a home-garden 

 product; yet the home-gardener often desires to grow a small early lot. 



The common practice of growing potatoes on elevated ridges or hills 

 is wrong, unless the soil is so wet that this practice is necessary to insure 

 proper drainage (but in this case the land is not adapted to the grow- 

 ing of potatoes), or unless it is necessary, in a particular place, to secure 

 a very early crop. If the land is elevated into ridges or hills, there is 

 great loss of moisture by means of evaporation. During the last culti- 

 vating the potatoes may be hilled up slightly in order to cover the tu- 

 bers; but the hills should not be made in the beginning for the main 

 crop if land and conditions are right. 



Land for potatoes should be rather loamy in character, and ought 

 to have a liberal supply of potash, either naturally or supplied in the 

 drill, by means of an application of sulfate of potash. See that the 

 land is deeply plowed or spaded, so that the roots can penetrate deeper. 

 Plant the potatoes 3 or 4 inches below the natural surface of the 

 ground. It is ordinarily best to drop the pieces in drills. A continu- 

 ous drill or row may be made by dropping one piece every 6 inches, 

 but it is usually thought best to drop two pieces about every 12 to 

 18 inches. The drills are far enough apart to allow good cultivation. 

 If horse cultivation is used, the drills should be at least 3 feet apart. 



Small potatoes are considered not to be so good as large ones for 

 planting. One reason is because too many sprouts arise from each one, 

 and these sprouts are likely to crowd each other. The same is true of 

 the tip end or seed end of the tuber. Even when the tip is cut off, the 

 eyes are so numerous that one secures many weak shoots rather than 

 two or three strong ones. It is ordinarily best to cut the potatoes 



