230 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



the American Gradus in that it has larger pods and is 

 more prolific. 



THE MALLOW FAMILY (Order Malvaceae) 



The Mallow Family is composed of plants having 

 flowers with numerous stamens which have their fila- 

 ments grown together and attached to the base of the 

 petals. The petals are twisted together in the bud. Seeds 

 are kidney-shaped. Herbs or shrubs mucilaginous with 

 very tough, fibrous bark; none of them are poisonous. 

 Okra is the only plant of this family that is frequently 

 grown in gardens, but the common cotton plant also 

 belongs here, as well as the Abutilon mallow, Hibiscus, 

 Althaea, and hollyhock of our gardens. 



OKRA (Hibiscus esculentus) 



Description. Native of South America. An annual. 

 The seed is round and of medium 

 size. It is cultivated for its green 

 seed-pods, which are highly es- 

 teemed for soup. It is little grown 

 except in the South. It is of the 

 easiest culture. The seed should be 

 sown about two inches apart in 

 rows two feet apart and in rich, 

 warm soil, at about the time for 

 planting beans. The pods are pro- 

 duced abundantly but are per- 

 haps not as tender when grown in 



Fig. 93. Dwarf okra. . , , 



our dry atmosphere as they are in 



the South. The flowers are large, yellow, and very pretty. 

 The varieties known as Dwarf Green and Long Green 

 are best for northern climates. 



