216 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



plants are so strong that there is rarely any occasion for the 

 use of a hoe, since the work may be done with a plow. 



In gathering okra for a distant market, the stems are 

 cut close to the pod. Okra is shipped in an ordinary vege- 

 table crate, and packed down firmly, so that the product 

 will not shake about on the way. There is little demand 

 for this vegetable in the markets of the Northwest, so it 

 must be shipped to some neighboring marketer to the East. 



The seed is easily saved. When the pods are ripe, they 

 should be removed from the plant. They will break 

 easily, and the seed comes out readily. 



The taller-growing varieties of okra are not so profitable 

 nor so desirable as the smaller or dwarf. Little Gem and 

 White Velvet are among the favorite dwarf varieties. Im- 

 proved Green is a good medium-sized variety. 



Bulletin. 



Okra : Its Culture & Uses, U. S. D. A., Farmers' Bulletin 232. 



PLANTAIN 



Plantains are those varieties of banana that are not 

 suited for eating raw, but require to be cooked. It is 

 difficult to tell the difference between the many varieties 

 of plantain and banana before the fruit appears. The 

 common plantain has fewer and larger fruits, more loosely 

 set in the bunch, and more three-angled than the common 

 bananas. It is an important tropical vegetable. Boiled 

 or baked green plantains, or fried ripe plantains, are com- 

 mon table vegetables throughout the West and East 

 Indies. 



