MUSTARD 



303 



MUSTARD 



Mustard, as the name indicates, is a species of Brassica. The 

 cultivated varieties, for the most part, belong to the species B. alba, 

 nigra, juncea, and Japonica. The salad varieties, all of which 

 are quite hardy, come mainly from nigra, although seed is taken 

 from both alba and juncea. 



Mustards are grown chiefly as salad plants, but in certain Euro- 

 pean countries and in a very restricted area of California they are 

 grown for the seed from which is produced an oil that is extensively 

 used. The mustard 

 seed is also a com- 

 mercial commodity 

 in the form of the 

 common condiment 

 known as ground 

 mustard. There are 

 two sources of mus- 

 tard seed the high- 

 grade planted crop 

 of California and the 

 volunteer crop sepa- 

 rated from cereals. 

 Mustard is seldom 

 grown as a seed crop 

 in the Northern and 

 Eastern states. In 

 the Great Plains area 



of the United States, mustard is a common weed in the fields of 

 small grains, particularly oats. After threshing, the mustard seed 

 can easily be separated from the oats because it is smaller, smooth, 

 and round. Mustard is extensively grown in the Southern states as 

 a salad plant. It is planted for autumn and for spring use. For 

 this purpose seeds are usually sown in drills from 1 2 to 1 8 inches 

 apart, and as soon as the leaves of the plant have developed suf- 

 ficiently they are cut and used as greens, the same as spinach. 

 A mustard plant of suitable size for salad purposes is shown in 

 figure 114. 



FIG. 114. Mustard suitable for salad 



