The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-07
In Reply to Several Inquirers.


The eggplant is not the popular veg
etable that the tomato is For one that at
tempts to grow it there are a dozen or
score that grow tomatoes. Not having the
quality of salad. or in any way that of
coudiment, such as the tomato may be re-
garded as possessing. it is grown for the
more substantial purpose Of baking or fry
ing with the accompaniment of grease or
Oil. 1t is regarded as being rather indigest-
ible, and for strong stomachs is a very nu-
trit1ous vegetable, as much 80 as cabbage,
perhaps The grease applied to vegetables
Of this class during the process Of cooking,
where it is boiled or fried or baked, in con-
nection with some kind Of meat or other
oily substance, increases, of course, the nu-
tritive quality of the resulting dish. How
nutritive the vegetable itself may prove is
not, therefore, to be actually determined by
its effects when used as food with
such a combination. Properly prepared
for the breakfast table by frying or broiling
1t constitutes a strong food. approximating
dish of meat. Parboiled, stuffed with
meat Of some kind, highly seasoned and
| then baked it constitutes a dinner dish that
commends itself to high livers, tut is hardly
appropriate for dyspeptics or delicate per-
sons.
The egg plant is not quite so easily grown
as the tomato, but with little extra care
| its culture is not difficult A great
many think that it is, aud conse-
quently do not attempt to grow it.
The obstacles to be overcome are not
many. In the first place eggplant seeds
taken as they come do not possess the aver
age vitality that is characteristic of tomato
seed. The former lose their vitality much
sooner than the latter under like conditions
When bought out OF the average retail store
it will be found that a very small per-
centage Of the seed will terminate
and grow. Unless carefully saved from
we'll ripened eggs, thoroughly dried and
| preserved from moisture and insects in
| paper bags, the seeds are not likely to pros
duce anything like fair growth of plants
! After the first planting one should always
SOW his own seed and protect them from
injury.
| Good seed being secured. the second OBJ
stacls to be met is to protect the little
plants just coming up irom the flea beetle.
This little insect, apparently. in our ex-
perience, ever ready at hand to attack the
young plant, must be promptly met. In
| fact, it is well TO anticipate its
appearance, for it is almost sure to come.
A little dry clay dust should be kept read y
to hand, and as soon as the little plants
come take some Of the dust and drop enough
kerosene oil on it to tnpregnate it strongly
| with the .odor. Dust the plants with 1t
while the dew is on them. Sprinkle it quite
freely oyer the soil 10 the seed boxes and
repeat it as 1t may be necessary until the
plants are large enough not TO be injured.
Fine, large stocky plants should be made
ready to set out from the first TO the middle
| OF April. To secure them, SOW the seed In
cold frames the middle of February. As
soon as the young plants have started to
| grow. take them up and transplant them
| into another frame or into warm border
| 49, 81, -, 4
protected from the cold. Set them about
three inches apart each way.
By proper working and water
| ing the plants will become we'll
rooted and stocky by the time it is safe to
put them in the open ground in April. For
years we have followed the plan of raising
the box or cold frame five feet above the
| ground, and thus protect the plant from
the beetle. But with the aid of kerosene or
pYrethrine. there is no necessity for raising
the plant frame or box above the ground.
Water impregnated with the odor Of tar
would also prove protection. no doubt.
but this we have never tried.
the Black Pekin, Early Long Purple,
the Early Dwarf and the New York
| Improved. The latter is good enough and
on the whole perhaps is the most desirable
kind. It and the Early Dwarf are varieties
enough either for the home or market gar
den. Set the plants in rows three feet deep
in the row. Set the plants on a level and
keep them growing by frequent shallow
culture. The soil, if not naturally rich,
must be made so by an application of good
| old compost. A mixture of bone dust and
ashes, as recommended for tomatoes, is a
| good fertilizer for the plants and it will be
better if it is worked into the soil uniformly
some weeks before setting OUT After the
plants have begun to grow and do not
appear to thrive and grow off as well as
they should a top dressing of some
| good. soluble manure can be applied
about the plants not too close and
hoed in. The eggplant is peculiarly liable
! TO the attack of nematoids or root guile in
sects, but when the plants are started early
In a properly enriched sandy loan
and given good cultivation a
very satisfactory crop can usually be
obtained. One soon tires of this vegetable,
and anything like fair market for the eggs
is only TO be found in the larger towns aud
cities In small way it pays about as good
a profit per square yard as most other
vegetables.