Raisinc. Ve(;i£tables for Canning 1575 



Varieties. — Some of the best varieties of spinacli are Victoria, Long 

 Standing, Giant Thick Leaf, and Savoy Leaf. The seed of spinach is 

 so cheap that very Httle attention has been given to producing high quality 

 strains. 



Time and methods of planting. — Li New York State fall plantings of 

 spinach should be made during August; spring plantings as soon as the 

 ground is ready, which is probably during April. For fall harvesting, 

 spinach should be planted about the fifteenth of July. 



In some localities, especially near cities, spinach is planted on soils 

 other, than muck in the fall in beds consisting of four or five rows from 

 ten to fourteen inches apart. The seed should be planted from one-half 

 to one inch deep, and a one- row drill operated by man power or a larger 

 drill that will sow four or five rows at a time may be used. If spinach is 

 planted in the spring, particularly in muck soils and other good garden 

 soils, raised beds are not made because drainage is generally not necessary 

 during the summer months, but seed is planted from one-half to one inch 

 deep with a one-row drill in rows from ten to fourteen inches apart. Spin- 

 ach should be planted at the rate of from fifteen to thirty pounds of seed 

 to an acre, and some growers use as much as from forty-five to fifty pounds 

 per acre. If the seed is sown in upland soils, it may be necessary to thin 

 the plants in order to obtain the best growth. There should be from 

 four to six inches between each plant, for if the rows are from ten to 

 fourteen inches apart, the plants will soon spread and cover this entire 

 space. Spinach planted on muck soils is not thinned. 



Ctdtivation. — Spinach should be cultivated every four or five days dur- 

 ing the early stages of growth, for it soon grows and covers the ground, 

 and cannot be tilled. One of the wheel hoes operated by man power 

 or a scuffle hoe is a good tool to use for this work. 



Insect pests and methods of control. — Early in the spring this plant is 

 not troubled very much with insects, but during the early summer the two 

 following pests may become serious. 



The leaf miner affects the spinach in the same way that it affects the 

 beet, and the same methods of control should be used (page 1566). 



There is a green fly, or aphis, that injures spinach by checking its growth. 

 No effective method of controlling this insect has been found, but rain 

 or cold weather hinders its progress, and if the plants are kept in thrifty 

 condition they are less likely to be injured. 



Harvesting. — Spinach should be harvested when the plants have grown 

 to large size and have completely covered the ground. In a soft soil, 

 such as muck, a wheel hoe or a scuffle hoe can be used to cut the root 

 just below the crown, or if particular care is required, a good knife may 

 be used. In the harder soils, such as the gravelly loams, a butcher knife 



