The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-05
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS or INTEREST TO AGRI-
CUITtRIsT AND HOT SEWIFE.

he Leg Plant ana How TO Grow IL.
4 Small Garden well Tended.
Raising Broom COrn-0niOn From
seed-Penches From seed.
Some, in fadl many. amateur gardeners
confess 10 an inability to make a uniform
success of growing this vegetable. 1 found
out long ago The chief obstacle in tie
way of success was the tiny little beetle
commonly known as the flea beetle"
From quite a long experience, as long
as thirty years, I am inclined to pro
nounce the said little beetle a most ubi-
quitous lille pesy accomplishing on the
aggregate an amount Of destruction that
is barely suspected by the average tliler
of the soil. He tells you most likely that
his young turnips and ca bbage have sud
denly disappeared from the face of ehe
earth and must have been eaten by the
fly" during his two days absence at
court When he had taken an observation
of the garden ION Monday the turnps and
ca obage were coming up nicely all along
che rows. when I looked again on
Thursday there wasn't sign of a young
plant anywhere; all gone He just knew
IL was "she fly" tut he couldn't tell what
kind Of a fly. Wei, w need not find
fault with our typical friend who is get
ting Old and makes little use of his eyes,
for calling a little beetle with one char
a1teristic of a flea a fly But is it not
strange that in all these ytars he had
not located the cause of the obstruction
Of his turnip crop? He had experienced
this loss a dozen times perhaps and still
ii was some imaginary Fly" that was al
the bottom OF it,
However, he that as it may, it seems
that there is no plant within the domain
of the garden that is watched for with
more avidty by this active and destruc-
tive little villain than the eggplant. He
is ever on the lockout for il, preferring it,
of course, in its tenderest condition, when
it is just up, Get the plant in its fourth
leaf. even in las third, and 1t is compar-
auvely safe. Defeat the intentions Of it
and really he eggplant is as easily grown
"a the tomato
For many years now we have made it
q practice to have cold frame made spe-
cially for growing the plants. 1t is ele-
waited about four feet from the ground
and as soon as made In February and the
soil put in we put on the glass top after
pibclHS Il rag SdLuIuleh WIN thi btAitiit
in the frame. The fumes of his will drive
out any flea beetles that may happen to
be in the soil, and none will get back into
the frame from the ground.
The New York improved is the stand
ard variety and is good enough. The seeds
are sown in the frames about six weeks
before the time the plants ere wanted for
setting in the open ground The rows in
frames are about four inches apart. As
soon as the plants develop the third lear
or have any roots they are drawn out TO
stand an inch or two apart and those
drawn reset in between the rows. Where
many p.ents are wanted to seed for in
stance, they are reset in ott r frames
on the ground. At this stage they can be
protected from the beetle by being busted
with sifted ashes or clay dust that has
been tainted with kerosene.
In two weeks more, after being trusted by
watering and cutivating, anyhow in three
weeks, the plants become stoclSy and have
a mass of roots. They grow right off
when set out in the open ground-that is,
if the soil has become warm and there
Is little gain in setting out before it has.
II Is always well to puddle" the roots
in the loblolly of clay and COW manure
to encourage a prompt start off.
Set plants 3xS feet. This gives nine.
square feet. which is ample room for the
largest growing kind Al this distance on
good soil properly fertilized, each plant
should average at least five large eggs"
in the six weeks following the first set
ting of fruit. Twice this number is fire.
quently produced, but taking a half-acre
over five may be esteemed fair and
profitable crop. The bushes bear tAtil
frost usually. but the later fruit matIres
slowly. Like tomatoes and in fact IAN
other crops that mature seed, the egg
plant does best on soil rich in the min
eral elements and with no superb bund-
ance of nitrogen. In preparing soil to
receive the plants. If it is at ell light and
sandy, il should be well rolled after being
plowed or narrowed. After the lines are
iaid off at three feet the garden roller
well weighted If necessary, should be run
once or twice up and down the line Press
the SOIL firmly to the roots in setting
GIVE only shallow cultivation with hoe
ana ploW, Have made as fine crop "a
could be made by simply cultivating with
garden pillow. Essace