THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 209 



nnless conditions are favorable, do not always head 

 well. This in brief is the system practiced by most 

 growers in the vicinity of Columbus." 



MUSTARD 



Mustard is a quick-growing salad which may be 

 ready for the table within three weeks of sowing. 

 It is managed precisely the same as garden cress, 

 or peppergrass. 



OKRA, OR GUMBO 



Okra is cultivated for its green pods or its im- 

 mature seeds. The former are sliced and used in 

 soups ; the latter are cooked like peas. It is largely 

 grown in the south, where the seed is planted 2 

 inches apart, in rows about 2 feet apart, in rich 

 warm soil, at the same time the beans are planted. 

 Dwarf Green and Long Green are the best known 

 varieties. 



ONION 



As to growing onions for market, Henry Price 

 of Hardin county, Ohio, says : " I like loam or 

 muck soil best for onions. On hard ground, the 

 crop is uncertain. This type of soil dries out so 

 easily that the ground gets hard, and when you 

 weed the land the weeds break off instead of pull- 

 ing out. And more than this, the onions will be small, 

 too small for a good market. Now, the real secret of 

 onion growing lies in the preparation of tlTe soil. 

 The seed bed must be fine and mellow and compact. 

 I like muck land, which I roll and rub until it is 

 solid. A smooth surface is left so the row marker 



