166 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



MUSTARD, which is of the Brassica or Cabbage 

 family, is in several varieties used as a salad or a pot- 

 herb plant. It runs to seed in warm weather, and 

 should therefore be sown in spring or fall; the seed 

 will live over winter in the ground. Clean culture is 

 necessary to prevent the seedlings from running wild, 

 and the plant should not be allowed to seed itself and 

 become a pest. The white Mustard is chiefly used as a 

 salad plant, sown broadcast or in drills; the black or 

 brown Mustard, the southern, and the Chinese varieties, 

 some of them curled, are used chiefly for pot-herbs, and 

 should be better known. Most of them are easily raised 

 under glass, especially the white. 



Soil. Any good garden soil, preferably warm and 

 quick. 



Distances are somewhat according to variety; the 

 white either broadcast on small areas or in drills nine 

 inches apart, the others in drills twelve to eighteen 

 inches apart, thinned to four to eight inches in the 

 row. 



Depth. For the white, one-half inch. For the 

 others, one inch. 



Break down all flower- stalks as soon as they appear. 



Pick only the young leaves, of the white and black 

 varieties, as wanted. Of the larger varieties all the 

 leaves may be gathered. Pull whole plants or pick the 

 leaves as wanted. 



Sow in September for a spring crop ; as soon as the 



