330 MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES. 



OKRA, OR GUMBO. 

 Ocra. Hibiscus esculentus. 



Okra is a half-hardy annual, with a simple stem, from 

 two to six feet in height, according to the variety ; the 

 leaves are large, palmate, deep green ; the flowers are large, 

 five-petaled, yellowish on the border, purple at the centre ; 

 the seed-pods are angular, or grooved, more or less sharply 

 pointed, an inch or an inch and a half in diameter at the 

 base, and from four to eight inches in length ; the seeds are 

 large, round-kidney-shaped, of a greenish-drab color, black 

 or dark brown at the eye, and retain their power of germi- 

 nation five years. 



Soil, Sowing, and Cultivation. Okra may be raised in 

 any common garden-soil, and is propagated by seeds sown 

 in April or May. The plants may be grown in rows two 

 feet apart, and a foot from each other in the rows. The 

 pods will be fit for use in August and September. 



It requires a long, warm season, and is most productive 

 when started in a hot-bed, and grown in a warm, sheltered 

 situation.*" 



Use. The green pods are used while quite young, sliced 

 in soups and similar dishes, to which they impart a thick, 

 viscous, or gummy consistency. Thus served, they are 

 esteemed not only healthful, but very nutritious. 



The ripe seeds, roasted and ground, furnish a palatable 

 substitute for coffee. 



Varieties : 

 Buist's ^ var iety recently introduced by Mr. Rob- 



D ,7 ar f ? kra " ert Buist of Philadelphia. Height two feet, 

 Count. Gent. 



being about half that of the old variety. Its 

 superiority consists in its greater productiveness, and the little 

 space required for its development, while the fruit is of 

 larger size and superior quality. It is said to produce pods 

 at every joint. 



