SPINACH 20I 



thicker stems should be discarded as the hot weather 

 comes on. 



Cultivation. — In regions where the winter is 

 not especially severe, spinach may be planted in the 

 fall. The young plants are covered lightly with 

 straw or other light litter and are ready to make 

 rapid growth as soon as the ground melts in the 

 spring. 



Prepare the ground thoroughly and enrich it well. 

 Barnyard dressing is especially valuable for spinach. 

 Sow the seed in rows about a foot apart, possibly 

 a little more. The seed sprouts well and should not 

 be sown thicker than two or three to the inch. 



As the plants get an inch or so high, thin out, 

 leaving them two inches apart. When these plants 

 have developed so that they crowd, they should 

 again be thinned out, leaving them at least four 

 inches apart. These plants are suitable for table 

 use. If the plants grow well, they will be crowding 

 again before long, and again they should be thinned 

 out and cooked. 



The larger sorts, like the New Zealand spinach, 

 need plenty of room, at least a foot each way. Never 

 let the New Zealand variety grow rank and coarse. 

 Keep the shoots pinched back, whether you need 

 them for the table or not, otherwise they will soon 

 become tough and fibrous. 



