Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-07-06

ripened fruit. Possibly the pepper Is
little more sensitive to cold, hard,
| ill-drained soil than many other plants,
as when the growth is checked often
very little fruit is borne by the plant.
| Therefore, one of the essentials is a
well-drained soil put in the best me.
chanical condition, and a delayed
planting until reasonably sure of con-
slant warm weather with the least
possible danger from cold or wet Like
the tomato, the plants may be propa-
gated by planting the seed in the field,
but a better yield is usually obtained
where the plants are started in beds
or boxes and transplanted to the open
field. Often the profit on a pepper crop
is determined by the character OF the
plants set.
Soil for the Seeded.
In preparing the soil to be put in the
seedbed for starting the pepper plants
a good mixture is made of one-third
black garden soil, one-third well-rotted
manure and one-third coarse-grained
sand. These proportions, however,
vary with the character of the soil.
whether heavy and compact or sandy;
If the former, Use less soil and more
sand; if the latter less sand. If the
manure is light, poorly rotted, take
pains to make the soil as light as pos,
sible and use larger proportion. 1t Is
important that the ingredients be well.
mixed, which can be best accomplished
by throwing them into a conical heap,
shoveling this over and then passing it
through a coarse sieve of about one
half-inch mesh. Carefully level about
two to three inches depth of this soil
in shallow box and water as thor
oughly as possible without making it
actually muddy. Let it stand for at
least an hour and then add about one
half inch of fresh soil, and in this
plant the seed either in drills about
one-quarter inch deep or scattered over
the surface and evenly covered with
from one-quarter to one-half inch of
fresh earth.
II the box is to be exposed to the
sun it is well to cover with a paper.
Care must be taken to remove this be-
fore the young plants appear, which
they should do in from seven to twelve
days. The box should be kept where
the temperature can be held as uni
formly as possible at 60 to 80 degrees.
1t might run higher in midday, but
termination will be checked in proper
ton as 1t runs lower. The young plants
I01 Il
der. Better pull and transplant, or
even throw away some of the seed
lings rather than have the whole plant
ing permanently injured. AS soon as
the central bud Is well developed the
seedlings should be transplanted, set
ting them from one to three inches
apart, according to the size at which It
is planned they should go into the per-
manent place in the field.
The soil of the plant bed should not
become compact and hard. Keep It
friable so as to enable the plants to-
be pulled for setting with the least pos
sible injury to the roots. During the
termination of the seed and the
growth of the young plants carefully
avoid overwatering. Don't water I'M
less the plants show by tendency to-
wilt that they need it; then give an
abundance, applying it in the morning
or evening rather than at midday. For
five or six days before transplanting
allow the beds to become as dry as
possible without the plants whiting,
then, eight or twelve hours before the
plants are to go to the field give the
bed an abundant watering.
In the meantime the soil of the field
should have been made as friable as
possible b. repeated cultivation. II It
Is likely to be infested by cutworms,
keep it clear Of every terminating weed
for ten days before setting the plants,
and about twenty-four hours before set
ting them scatter cut clover which has
been sprinkled with paris green wa
ter. The hungry worms will go long
distances to reach this green food and
many of them will be killed.
In order to facilitate the gathering
Of the peppers with the least possible
injury to the plants, it is advantageous
to leave every fourth row vacant, IL
crowding the plants which
should go into the fourth with the
other three rows.
After setting the plants give the field
a thorough cultivation, which should
be repeated as often as practical with
out injuring the plants