THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



201 



MUSTARD— OKRA 



The leaves of the newer, larger growing varieties of Mustard can be 

 used either as a salad or as greens, some of which attain a foot or more in 

 height. Three or four crops may be sown during the season to supply a 

 succession. Those planted in Summer or early Fall will usually give the' 

 best results. Sow thinly in drills 15 or 18 in. apart, and cover the seed 3^ 

 in. deep. Thin out and cultivate as you would Lettuce. 



Okra may be grown easily if a rich soil and a sunny position are pro- 

 vided. It is very tender and should not be planted until the ground is 

 thoroughly warm. The rows should be from 2 to 3 ft. apart. Sow the seed 

 one inch deep and thin the plants to 18 in. or more, to give room for ample 

 development. The pods should be used while they are still young and 

 tender. 



ONIONS 



Onions are used in all stages of development, from seedlings as big as 

 a pencil, eaten raw, to the mature, dried bulb. They may be grown from 

 seed, from prickers (seedhngs started under glass and set out later in the 

 garden), sets (which are very small bulbs of standard varieties, grown 

 small especially for this purpose), or from the perennial multiplier, the 

 Potato or Egyptian Onion. The last three propagate themselves by multi- 

 plying, either at the roots or at the top of the seed stalks, the cluster of 

 bulblets being divided up and set out for the following crop. They may be 

 planted either in early Spring or in late Fall. 



Onions from seed yield very heavily in rich soil, but the preparation 

 of the seed-bed must be of the best as the seed is fine. Sow 3^ in. deep in 

 drills 1 ft. apart and cover firmly; eight to 

 twelve seeds are drilled in to the inch of row. 

 Thin to 2 or 3 in. The young onions thus 

 pulled out are most appetizing eaten raw 

 with a dip of salt. In addition to rich and 

 very thoroughly prepared soil, the most 

 important thing in growing Onion seed is 

 to keep ahead of the weeds. The plants 

 when they first come up are very small, not 

 much bigger than blades of grass, and the 

 whole crop may very easily be lost through 

 neglect in this regard. Go through it with 

 the wheel hoe and also by hand within a 

 week or ten days after they break ground. 

 Continued clean culture and occa- 

 sional Ught appHcations of nitrate of soda 

 will keep the crop developing vigorously 

 till mid-Summer. Lime in the soil and . ^. 



soot sprinkled along the rows will tend to On.ons are indispensable 



mitigate the damage done by the Onion ^owf make";' dandyTreak! 



maggot. Ihe most certam remedy for the fast relish 



