1698 



SPHAGNUM 



SPINACH 



or unless one has (.-onditions very similar to its native 

 habitat, it is difficult to keep it living; for any len^j^tb of 

 time. This does not greatly matter, except that Spba^- 

 num used for surfacing pots should always he living 

 for the sake of appearance. That which is used in pot- 

 ting and propagating need not necessarily be living as 

 long as it is fresh and not decayed, while partially de- 

 cayed iLiuys may l.te usud for mulching aud pueking. 



Edwakd J. Canning. 

 SPHENOGYNE. See Crshtia. 



SPICE BUSH. Consult BnuouK 



SPIDER FLOWER. C/eonr. 



SPIDER LILIES. JTi/meiiornJIis and Pimcruiium. 



SPIDER PLANT. See CIvonn?. 



SPIDERWORT. TnuJ, 



iitla. 



SPIGELIA (after Ailrian von (\vv Spigel, pliysician, 

 15.58-lli:^5). Lo'j'ini'h:r<f. Ab(mt3-'i specifs uf American 

 annual or perennial herl)s, rai-cly s<nuewbat woody, with 

 opposite, membranous. fraihiT- vrjned, rarely 'S-f)- 

 nerved leaves, and long or siii;dl rod, yellow or purplish 

 flowers, usually borne in u-ruilnal, oiu.'-sidcd, somewhat 

 curved spikes: calyx 5-lobed; segnuuits narrow; corolla 

 tubular; lobes 5, valvate ; stamens 5, :itla<died to the 

 corolla-tube: ovary 2doculed: style articulated, simple, 

 obtuse or somewhat capitate and stii^-matose at the sum- 

 mit: capsule flattened, circumscissjlt^ al»ove the persis- 

 tent base. 



Marildndica, Linn. Fink R')0T. A bamlsome hardy 

 perennial herb, with slender, tufted stems 1-2 ft. high, 

 opposite, ovate, sessile, thin Ivs. 2-4 in. long, and red, 

 tubular fls. with yellow throats in terminal, 1-sided 

 spikes. June, Julv. Woods, N. J. to AVis. and south. 

 B.B. 2:60.^. B.M. 80. -An elegant plant for the hardy 

 border. Sharle is not nocrssary for its welfare if planted 

 in good, loose, drop h.am. p_ -^y Baiu'LAT. 



23&2. Spinach (X '3). 



SPIKENARD. Ara/ia racemosa. FALSE S. Smihi- 

 ciua. 



SPILANTHES f€4reek, spotted nna-er). Comp6sit(B. 

 This genus inchules the Para Cress {Spildnthes oler- 

 dcea , Linn.], the leaves of which impart a pungent flavor 

 to salads and stimulate the salivary glands. The plant 

 belongs rather to jiharniacy than to the vegetable garden. 

 It is procurable from P^rance. It is an annual herb of 

 almost creeping habit and yellow fls. in conical, rayless 

 heads about three-eighths of an inch in diameter. The 

 seed is sown in early spring. The Brazil Cress differs 

 in the brownish tint of stem and leaves. The preced- 

 ing points are condensed from Vilniorin's "Vegetahle 

 Garden." 



Spilanthes is a genus of about 20 sjiecies found in the 

 warmer regions of the globe. They are mostly annual, 

 rarely perennial, and have opposite, usually dentate Ivs. 

 Some have yellow or white rays and the disk is yellow. 

 S. oleraceii has broadly ovate, dentate Ivs. and long- 

 peduncled heads. Gn. 22, p. 290. ly m 



SPINACH (SpiiKirni <>/rrarr<i, v.'h\c\i see) IS an an- 

 nual crop grown as a potdierli, or for "greens." Fig. 

 2;il>2. It is a cool-season plant, and therefore it is grown 

 in fall and spring. It is a plant of easy culture, thriving 

 in any good garden oh field soil, although for quick re- 

 sults and for tender, succulent foliage, land which has 

 an abundance of available plant-food, and particularly 

 of nitroLcen, is most desirable. The plant is hardy, and 

 when the land is well drained, it will ordinarily stand 

 the winter climate as farnorth as the city of New Yurk, 

 and still farther in somewliat protected places. 



Spinach is grown hoth as a fall and spring crop. The 

 fall crop is raised from seed that is sown in Axigust; in 

 eight weeks the leaves may be large enough for eating. 

 The spring crop is grown from seeds sown in the fall, 

 or from those sown during winter in hotbeds or cold- 

 frames, or from those sown directly in the ground as 

 soon as it is fit in the spring. If the plants for spring 

 use are to he started in the fall, the seeds should be 

 sown about six to eight weeks before hard freezing 

 weather is expected. Then the plants will have attained 

 sutlicieut size and roothold to enable them to pass the 

 winter. It is advisable to cover the plants, just before 

 winter sets in, with straw or loose litter or dry manure. 

 Even though the plants will withstand the winter, they 

 nevertheless thrive hetter if given this protection, par- 

 ticularly in soils that are likely to heave. It is custom- 

 ary to grow this fall-sown Spinach on wide ridges or 

 beds that are made by plowing several furrows together, 

 leaving a dead furrow between them. This allows of 

 surface drainage. These beds may be from five to ten 

 feet wdde. On these beds, the seeds are sown in rows 

 running lengthwise, the distance between the rows being 

 from 10 to 20 inches, depending upon the methods that 

 are emploj-ed for tillage. If hand tillage alone is to be 

 given, the plants may be placed closer. In the spring 

 the cover is removed from the plants at the earliest op- 

 portunity, for Spinach is juost desired very early in the 

 season. L'^'nless the land is in extra good "heart," it is 

 well to make a surface application of a soluble fer- 

 tilizer early in the spring in order to start the plants 

 into growth. A fertilizer that is very rich in nitrogen 

 gives best results; in fact, it is customary in some 

 places to use a solution of nitrate of soda or sulfate of 

 ammonia, applying the material with a sprinkling cart. 

 From 50 to 75 pounds of the fertilizer may be used to 

 the acre with very good results, at each of two or more 

 applications. 



For home use. Spinach is sometimes carried over the 

 winter in fra.mes, the plants having been transplanted 

 to the frames or raised in them during the late fall. 

 These frames are protected from severe freezing weathe 

 liy mats or shutters. Whenever it is desired to bring 

 the plants into growth, sash is placed over the frame, 

 and extra protection is given in very cold weather. The 

 plants will soon become green and begin to make new 

 leaves. Different frames may be covered at different 

 times as the season advances, thereby providing a 

 supply for home use. Sometimes the seed is sown in 

 hotbeds that are made late in winter or very early in 

 spring, and the plants are secured in advance of the 

 ordinary season. The growing of Spinach in frames is 

 less frequent than formerly, owing to the fact that the 

 market is now supplied with the product grown in the 

 Middle South. 



Spring Spinach may be grown from seeds that are 

 sown as soon as the land can be worked in spring. If 

 the land has been plowed and manured in the fall, 

 quickor results may be secureil. Two or three sowings 

 nuiy be mad*- in the home garden for spring use, but 

 after the middle of June Spinach is likely to become 

 tough and is in little demand. If Spinach is wanted 

 during the summer, it is liettor to use the New Zealand 

 Spinarli, ^-bich is a warm weather plant. This plant has 

 no relationship with the ordinary Spinach (see Tefra- 

 (jouia). It is usually best to sow Spinach seed where 

 -the plants are to stand, although it is sometimes trans- 

 planted into frames for home use. Care must he taken 

 that the plants do not become checked or stunted, else 

 they will tend to run to seed. If the seed is sown too 

 late in spring, when hot weather is approaching, the 

 root-leaves will be very few and the plant will quickly 

 throw up flower-stalks. Spinach is alw'ays grown as a 



