220 



"oyster plant" by which it is commonly known. 

 This crop may be easily dug and stored for winter 

 use, but like the parsnip should be left in the soil 

 until frozen. It deserves a wider popularity than it 

 now enjoys. It is a deep-rooted plant, thriving best 

 on the rich, deeply tilled garden loams, and may in 

 every respect be considered a companion plant for 

 the parsnip. 



The same types of soils are required and prop- 

 agation is the same. The seed should be planted at 

 practically the same time, and the roots dug, stored 

 and harvested in the same manner. 



When prepared for market the long, slender roots 

 are washed and tops cut off, leaving two or three 

 inches of the leaves. They are then tied in bunches 

 of from five to ten plants each, depending upon 

 their size. 



SPINACH 



Spinach is by far the most important vegetable 

 commonly used in the form of greens. It is more 

 nutritious than most plants used in this manner, 

 and is especially recommended as a healthful source 

 of iron in the human system. This crop is grown 

 in a variety of ways. It is an important truck crop 

 in certain sections of the South, but the area over 

 which it may be profitably cultivated is limited by 

 its bulky character and relatively high freight rates 

 on the same. It is extensively grown in the North 

 as a hotbed and cold-frame crop and under field 

 conditions is sown both in the fall and in the spring. 

 When sown in the fall some light mulching is re- 

 quired to protect it through the winter. A moist, 

 sandy loam of high fertility is required for the best 

 results with spinach. The value of the plant de- 



