378 GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



Use. — The flowers and young leaves are used in salads, 

 and have a warm taste like water cress. The flowers are 

 used in garnishing dishes. The fruit, gathered green aud 

 pickled, forms an excellent substitute for capers. 



OKEA. — ( // ibiscus esculentus.) 



This is an annual Malvaceous plant, a native of the 

 West Indies, and much esteemed and cultivated wherever 

 its merits are known. There are several varieties — the 

 round, smooth green, and the long fluted or ribbed white, 

 which grow tall , also the dwarf. There is no great differ- 

 ence in quality, but the dwarf sort is best for gardens. 

 The White Velvet is a prolific bearer, and well suited to 

 the South. It has extra large smooth white pods in abun- 

 dance. 



Okra likes a good, dry soil. Any soil will produce it 

 that is good enough for the cotton plant, which belongs to 

 the same natural family. The pods are not as pleasant nor 

 as early on over-rich soil. It is not planted until the frosts 

 are over, as it is tender, though it often comes up from 

 self-sown seed. The time of planting cotton or snap beans 

 is a very good guide, though some may be put in as an 

 experiment two weeks earlier. .Make the drills three feet 

 apart, sow the seed rather thinly, and thin out to two feet 

 apart in the drill. Those thinned out may be transplanted 

 and will make productive plants. No seed should be 

 allowed to ripen on those stalks from which the pods are 

 gathered for eating. As fast as the pods become hard or 

 unfit for use, cut them off, for if left on, the stalk will 

 cease to be productive. If not allowed to ripen seed, the 

 plants will continue bearing through the season. The 

 dwarf okra may stand about fifteen inches apart in the 

 drill, and it is well when any plant begins to fail in pro- 

 ductiveness to cut it down to a foot from the ground, and 

 it will soon throw up bearing shoots. 



