CENOTHEEA OLEANDER 161 



gated by division or seed, the annuals by seed. Set the 

 tall kinds 2 to 3 feet apart. Height 1 to 3 feet. All 

 of easy culture. 



Okra. From the green pods of this vegetable 

 is made the well-known Gumbo soup of the South, where the 

 plant is more extensively grown than in the North. The pods 

 are also used in their green state for stews, and are dried and 

 used in winter, when they are nutritious, and 

 form no little part of the diet in certain sections 

 of the country. The seeds are very sensitive 

 to cold and moisture, and should not be sown 

 until the ground has become warm the last 

 week in May or the first of June being early 

 enough in New York. The seed should be sown 

 in a drill 1 inch deep, the plants thinned to 



T ->n i t n xi i Okra or Gumbo 



stand 12 inches in the row. Give the same cul- 

 ture as for corn. One ounce will sow 40 feet of drill. 

 Dwarf varieties are best for the North. Green Density 

 and Velvet are leading varieties. 



Oleander. While there are many named va- 

 rieties of the Oleander, but two are often seen in general 

 cultivation. These are the common red and white varie- 

 ties. Both these, as well as the named varieties, are of 

 easy management and well adapted to home culture, grow- 

 ing in pots or tubs for several years without special care. 

 Well-grown specimens are very effective as porch or lawn 

 plants, or may be used to good advantage in mixed beds of 

 tall-growing plants, plunging the pot or tub to the rim in the 

 soil. The plants should be cut back after flowering. They 

 should be rested in any out-of-the-way place through the 

 winter. When brought out in the spring, they should be 

 given sun and air in order to make a sturdy growth. Prop- 

 agation is effected by using well -ripened wood for cut- 

 tings, placed in a close frame ; or the slips may be rooted in 

 a bottle or can of water, care being taken to supply water as 

 evaporation takes place. After being rooted, they may be 



