156 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



plant in hills three feet apart each way, five or six seeds in a 

 hill, and when well up, thin to the three best plants. 



Hoe often, keeping them perfectly clear of weeds, slightly 

 and gradually hilling up. 



Time : during corn-planting time, or immediately after. 



Okra is a southern plant of the mallow tribe. It is of strong, 

 coarse growth, from two to four feet high, bearing abundance 

 of beautiful flowers, which are succeeded by long ribbed or 

 smooth seed-pods. When these attain their full size, but 

 while still tender, they are gathered for use. Their value is 

 in the large amount of pleasant and healthful mucilage which 

 they yield in boiling. On this account they are much used in 

 thickening soups, for which purpose they may be kept for win- 

 ter use by being cut up in cross slices or " rings," and dried 

 upon strings like apples. 



They are also boiled and eaten with drawn butter, as aspar- 

 agus ; or the tender pods are used for pickles. See page 167. 



The ripe seeds, roasted and used for coffee, are, perhaps, not 

 at all inferior to it. 



The whole plant is also said to make excellent material for 

 paper, the only difficulty being in obtaining quantity, an ordi- 

 nary cart-load of the okra being required for each ream of pa- 

 per. It is certainly worth while to ascertain carefully the val- 

 ue of the seeds as " coffee," that, if available as a substitute, 

 the cultivation of the plant may be extended. 



ONION. 



French, Oignon. German, Zwiebel. Spanish, Cebolla. 



1. RED. 2. WHITE. 3. YELLOW. 



BRIEF DIRECTIONS. 



Sow in very rich, light soil, in drills twelve inches apart ; 

 cover lightly. Keep clean ; and if large onions are wanted, 

 thin to three or four inches ; hoe often, and water with liquid 

 guano, either from Peru or the hen-roost. 



Time : sow at the very earliest opening of spring, whether 

 at the South or North. They may also be sown in the fall 



