SPINACH, 203 
Spinaceous Plants. 
Spinacn (Spinacea oleracea) is an annual plant, and isa 
native of Western Asia. It has long been cultivated for 
the sake of its succulent leaves, which, when properly 
dressed, form an agreeable and nutritious article of food. 
There are three varieties: the smooth-seeded, the large- 
leaved or Flanders, having also smooth seeds, and the 
prickly-seeded. The latter, as being the most hardy, is 
often called winter spinach. 
The first sowing is made in August, in some sheltered 
situation; the plants, as they advance, are thinned, and 
the ground is hoed. In the beginning of winter the outer 
leaves become fit for use; in mild weather successive 
gatherings are obtained, and, with proper management, the 
crops may be prolonged to the beginning of May. 
To afford a succession-crop, the seeds of the round- 
leaved smooth-seeded varieties should be sown in the end 
of January, and again in February and March. From 
this period it is proper to sow small quantities once a fort- 
night, summer spinach lasting only a short time. The 
open spaces between the lines of cauliflower, ard others of 
the cabbage tribe, will generally afford enough of room for 
these transient crops. They are generally sown in shallow 
drills, and are thinned out and weeded as may be required. 
In the United States, the winter crops of spinach are 
sown in August, and the plants generally protected through 
the winter by a light covering of matts, straw, or other 
clean litter. The crops intended for summer and fall use, 
may be sown from the first of April to the middle of May, 
and will come in very well between the rows of peas. It 
requires rich ground, and is almost worthless where grown 
on thin or exhausted soil. When too thick, the planta are 
