4 I2 GARDEN FARMING 



frequently looks yellow, makes an indifferent growth, and is tough 

 and stunted. This pathologists term malnutrition. The plant is 

 starved in the presence of an abundant food supply because the 

 plant food is not presented in an available form. The soil is as 

 a rule lacking in organic matter. The beneficial bacteria which 

 are able to transform crude materials into available form are not 

 present in sufficient number. 



The absence of these low forms is in great measure due to the 

 lack of a sufficient amount of decaying organic matter in the soil. 

 Soils may be charged with crude mineral elements and yet provide 

 an uncongenial environment for certain plants. In order that crude 

 materials may be made available for plants, the soil conditions must 

 be favorable to the growth of the right kind of organisms in large 

 numbers. The use of stable manure or cowpeas plowed under, fol- 

 lowed by an application of lime, is one of the surest and quickest 

 ways of correcting the conditions which cause malnutrition. 



Rust. The disease popularly known as spinach rust has been 

 found to be the result of the fungus Heterosporium variabile. It 

 is a trouble associated with conditions which in any way interfere 

 with the normal growth of the plant, such as severe winter cold, 

 late planting, and conditions which bring about malnutrition. Its 

 presence is indicated by stunted growth and yellow spots, and the 

 affected area often extends for many yards. Only weakened leaves 

 seem to be infected, and the attacks usually follow unfavorable 

 conditions in late December or January. The plants are seldom 

 killed by this rust, but the extra expense required to trim affected 

 plants materially increases the cost of production. No remedy is 

 suggested, but since the parasite is a weak one, it is inferred that 

 the disease is of minor consequence. All that is necessary is to see 

 that the soil is in suitable condition to stimulate vigorous growth. 



Harvesting. Spinach is harvested with a sharp scuffle hoe by 

 cutting the taproot of the plant just below the surface of the soil. 

 As the plants are gathered, all dead or discolored leaves are re- 

 moved, and the plants are then packed in splint or ventilated 

 barrels or barrel-high Delaware baskets. If shipped in barrels, 

 burlap is used for covering, but the baskets are provided with 

 slatted heads. A good stand of spinach on 8-row beds should 

 yield from 200 to 250 barrels per acre. 



