EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 501 



EXPERIMENTS WITH OKRA ("GUMBO"). 



The O'kra as a vegetable is, perhaps, less known in the State 

 i-han it deserves. Frequently visitors to the Gardens have there 

 seen the growing okra plants for the first time, while others quickly 

 "recognized them as special favorites. The latter were usually from 

 .the South, where this garden crop, aften called giimbo, is much 

 more cominonly grown than with us. Okra is the subject of a 

 l3ulletin* by Mr, Eeattie, who states that it has been in use in 

 Europe for centuries, and is of tropical origin. 



The okra (Hibiscus escnlenius) is a member of the mallow fam- 

 ily, and shows close kinship to cotton, various abutilons, marsh- 

 mallows and similar giant-flov/ered plants of the hollyhock type. 

 It is an annual with straight, large, stiff stems, bearing large 

 ^^maple-shaped"' leaves and the funnel-shaped, lemon-colored 

 flowers, folL^wed l)v pods that sometimes attain a length of nearly 

 a foot. These pods are the portion used, and need to be gathered 

 •only two days or so after the flower has passed, when they abound 

 in a mucilaginous substance that imparts a pleasant consistency as 

 well as flavor to soups. 



The crop is easily gro^vn, and as the ordinary sorts attain a 

 height of three or more feet, and bear large, lu'oad leaves, the 

 plants need more space than onions or bush l)eans, and do their 

 hest when at least t\^'0 feet apart each way. There are dwarf sorts 

 :that may be gi^^en less space. 



Through" the kindness of Mr. Beattie, seeds of a number of types 

 of okra plants were obtained, and although some sorts did not 

 . germinate, by supplementing the list from the commercial seeds- 

 men, several varieties were grown. 



From the okra plants grown last year selection was made of a 

 standard sort with long, slender pods, and of a dwarf form of plant 

 with shorter, thicker pods. Seed from each was planted this sea- 

 son and designated as 'Tlom.e" (standard) and "Home" (dwarf), 

 respectively; the former produced tall plants bearing long, thin 

 pods, while the latter twenty-one plants all bred true to tyjje, that 

 is, were low plants with short, thick pods, and one plant bore 

 slender pods. ♦ 



* "Okra : Its Culture and Uses." W. R. Beattie. Farmer's Bulletin No. 

 232, U. S. D. A., 1905. 



