604 MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES. 



OKRA, OR GUMBO. 

 Ocra. Hibiscus esculentus. 



Okra is a half-hardy annual, from Central America. 

 Stem simple, sometimes branched at the top, and from two 

 to six feet in height, according to the variety ; the leaves 

 are large, palmate, deep green ; the flowers are large, five- 

 petaled, yellowish on the border, purple at the centre ; the 

 seed-pods are angular, or grooved, more or less sharply 

 pointed, an inch or an inch and a half in diameter at the 

 base, and from four to eight inches in length ; the seeds are 

 large, round-kidney-shaped, of a greenish-drab color, black 

 or dark brown at the eye, and retain their power of germi- 

 nation five years. 



Soil, Sowing, and Cultivation. Okra may be raised in 

 any common garden soil, and is propagated by seeds sown in 

 April or May. The Dwarf varieties may be grown in rows 

 two feet apart, and a foot from each other in the rows ; but 

 the taller sorts require a space of at least three feet between 

 the rows, and nearly two feet from plant to plant in the rows. 

 Keep the soil about the plants loose and open, and, in the 

 process of cultivation, earth up the stems slightly, in the 

 manner of earthing peas. The pods will be fit for use in 

 August and September. 



It requires a long, warm season, and is most productive 

 when started in a hot-bed, and grown in a warm, sheltered 

 situation. 



Use. The green pods are used while quite young, sliced 

 in soups and similar dishes, to which they impart a thick, 

 viscous, or gummy consistency. Thus served, they are es- 

 teemed not only healthful, but very nutritious. 



The ripe seeds, roasted and ground, furnish a palatable 

 substitute for coffee. 



