AMARANTHUS. 279 



CHAPTER VI, 

 SPINACEOUS PLANTS, 



Amaranthus. Black Nightshade. Leaf-beet, or Swiss Chard. Malabar 

 Nightshade. Nettle. New Zealand Spinach. Orach. Patience Dock. 

 Quinoa. Sea-beet. Shepherd's Purse. Sorrel. Spinach. Wild or 

 Perennial Spinach. 



AMARANTHUS. 



Chinese Amaranthus. Chinese Spinach. 



HARDY, annual plant, introduced from Chi- 

 na ; stem three feet in height, much branched, 

 and generally stained with red ; leaves varie- 

 gated with green and red, long, and sharply 

 pointed ; the leaf-stems and nerves are red ; 

 the flowers, which are produced in axillary spikes, are green- 

 ish, and without beauty ; the seeds are small, black, smooth, 

 and shining. Twenty-three thousand are contained in an 

 ounce, and they retain their power of germination four or 

 five years. 



Soil and Cultivation. Any good garden soil is adapted to 

 the growth of the Amaranthus. Before sowing, the ground 

 should be thoroughly pulverized, and the surface made smooth 

 and even. The seed may be sown in April, or at any time 

 during the month of May, in shallow drills, fourteen to six- 

 teen inches apart, and covered with fine, moist earth. When 

 the plants are two inches high, thin to five or six inches 

 apart, and cultivate in the usual manner. They will yield 

 abundantly during most of the summer. 



