Vol. V. No. 109. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



205 



CULTIVATION OF OKRAS. 



The U. S. Department of Agriculture has recently 

 issued, as Farmers' Bulletin No. 282, a paper entitled 

 'Okra: its Culture and Uses,' As the okra is com- 

 monly cultivated in the West Indies, the following 

 €xtracts from this paper are likely to be of interest : — 



Okra, or gumbo, as it is commonly called (Hibiscus 

 esculent us), is a tropical annual belonging to tbe order 

 Malvaceae. Tbis order includes some important economic 

 plants, of which cotton and okra have the greatest commer- 

 •cial value, and such ornamentals as tbe abutilons and 

 many varieties of hibiscus. Tbe okra plant somewhat 

 resembles tbe cotton plant, though having much larger and 

 rougher leaves and a thicker stem. Its flowers are similar to 

 those of cotton in size, shape, and colour, are always single, 

 and there is very little variation between those of different 

 varieties. 



The original home of tbe okra plant is not definitely 

 known, but it is either Africa, the West ladies, or Central 

 America. 



Tbe soil upon which okra can most successfully be 

 grown is a rich, mellow loam, ploughed rather deeply and 

 well worked over with pulverizing tools. The same condi- 

 tions that will produce good cotton or corn will be found 

 suitable for the production of okra. 



PLANTING THE SEED. 



Plant in rows, .3i- feet apart for the dwarf types, and 

 41 feet for the larger-growing varieties. Scatter the seeds 

 in drills, or plant loosely in hills, as with corn, and cover 

 to a depth of 1 or 2 inches, according to the compactness 

 and moisture content of the soil. The seeds may be planted 

 with any good seed drill, but, when placed in hills, they 

 should be separated 3 or 4 inches to allow space for the 

 development of the stems. 



CULTIVATION. 



As soon as the plants are well established, they may 

 be thinned to three or four in a hill, or, if grown in drills, 

 to 12 or 14 inches for the dwarf and 16 to 24 inches for 

 the larger-growing varieties. 



Where vacant spots occur from failure in germination, 

 they may be filled in by transplanting. Cultivate as in the 

 case of corn or cotton, keeping the ground well stirred 

 and the surface soil loose, especially while the plants are 

 small. After the leaves begin to shade the ground, very- 

 little cultivation is necessary except to keep tbe land free 

 from weeds. 



A poor soil and insufiioient moisture will yield pods 

 ■of inferior size and quality, and irrigation may often be 

 desirable in order to produce a marketable crop. 



The okra plants will usually continue to grow until late 

 in the season, but after a tune the pods are not so large 

 or tender as those produced earlier. As the pod is the only 

 part of the plant ordinarily used for food, it is desirable 

 to secure a rapid and continuous growth in order to 

 produce the greatest quantity of marketable pods. 



GATHEEINO AND MARKETING. 



As soon as the plants begin to set fruits, the pods 

 should be gathered each day, preferably in the evening. 

 The flower opens during the night or early morning and 

 fades after a few hours. The pollen must be transferred 

 during the early morning, and the pod thus formed will 

 usually be ready for gathering during the latter part of the 

 following day, although the time required to produce 

 a marketable pod varies according to the age of the plant 



and conditions under which it is grown. The pods should 

 always be gathered, irrespective of size, while they are still 

 soft, and before the seeds are halt' grown. 



USES OF OKEAS. 



The principal use of oki'a'is in Soups and various 

 culinary preparations in which meats form an important 

 factor, as in the so-called gumbo .soups, to which the young- 

 pods impart an excellent flavour, besides giving a pleasant 

 mucilaginous consistency. The young seeds are occasionally 

 cooked in the same \V3,y as green peasj and the very young 

 and tender piods are boiled and served as a salad with French, 

 dressing. Both the stem and the mature pod contain a fibre 

 which is employed in the manufacture of paper. 



In countries where large quantities of the pods are 

 consumed, they are dried and preserved to be used during the 

 part of the year when a fresh supply cannot be obtained. 

 There are several methods of drying the pods. By one of 

 these the pods are cut into slices crosswise and about -i- inch, 

 thick ; the slices are then spread upon muslin-covered frames 

 and dried, after which the okra is stored in thin bags until 

 required for use. By another and a more common method, 

 the very young pods are strung upon coarse threads and hung 

 up to dry. In Turkey alone there are tons of the pods 

 preserved in this manner each year. 



No copper, brass, or iron cooking vessels should be 

 employed in preparing okra, as the metal will be absorbed 

 and the pods discoloured or even rendered poisonous. The 

 cooking should be done in agate, porcelain, or earthenware. 



TRADE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE 

 WEST INDIES. 



In view of the efforts that are being made to 

 extend the trade between the West Indies and Canada, 

 by means of exhibitions of West Indian products and 

 otherwise, the following extract from the Maritime 

 Mercliant (Montreal), of May 17, is of interest: — 



We have before us tbe figures of the trade between the 

 several West India Islands and Canada for the years from 

 1900 to 1904. These show a startling increase, and while we 

 have not the official returns for 190.5, it is well known that 

 the trade of that year was much larger than ever before. 

 With the growth of population and a continuance of the 

 efforts to develop the sale of Canadian produce and manu- 

 factures in the tropics, there is no reason why the present 

 rate of increase should not be maintained for many years, 

 until Canada supplies the larger part of the needs of these 

 colonies, which she can do as well as the United (States. 



These figures, while fairly large, are exceeded by the 

 imports from other countries, notably the United States. 

 There is, therefore, room tor a considerable expansion of the 

 sales of Canadian goods. The merchants of the West Indies 

 are willing purchasers of such Canadian goods as meet their 

 requirements. 



New Uses for Balata. Mention is made in a 

 recent issue of the India Rubber World of the extension of 

 the uses of balata. ' There is no doubt that balata belting 

 is increasing in popularity ; though it is not suitable for 

 hot situations, it is certainly superior to leather where con- 

 tinuous damp has to be reckoned with, and the facility with 

 which joints can be made, yielding a smooth surface, has 

 popularized the belt for dynamo running.' 



