428 The Principles of Vegetable - Gardening 



or on inverted sods in frames. Okra is a large - growing 

 plant and the rows should be from 3 to 4, or even 5, feet 

 apart for the larger varieties. In the row the plants 

 should stand from 1 to 3 feet. In the northern states, 

 certain dwarf and early -maturing varieties are usually 

 grown, and these may stand as close as 1 foot apart in 

 the row. 



Hibiscus esculentus, the okra, is native to tropical 

 Asia. It is one of the Mallow family, and is therefore 

 allied to hollyhock and cotton. It is now widely grown 

 in tropical countries. For history, see Sturtevant, Amer. 

 Nat., Jan., 1890, pp. 33-35. There are no very im- 

 portant insects or diseases. There are few varieties, 

 only 11 being offered in North America in 1889. 



MARTYNIA 



Martynia is grown for the half -matured seed -pods, 

 which are used for pickles. The plant requires a warm 

 soil and exposure. Give much room, for a good plant 

 will spread over an area 3 or 4 feet across. It is a nearly 

 prostrate plant, with very large, hairy leaves, odd showy 

 flowers, and long -beaked hairy pods. It demands no 

 special treatment. Seeds may be started in frames or 

 planted in the open as soon as warm weather comes. 



Two or three confused species are in cultivation, but 

 the commonest one is Martynia proboscidea, native from 

 southern Indiana to Iowa and southward. Others are 

 tropical. They are annuals. They are members of the 

 Pedaliacece, a small family allied to the Bignonia family. 

 See historical note by Sturtevant, Amer. Nat., Aug., 

 1889, p. 670. 



