Okra 



325 



veloped strings or woody fiber. Pods are also canned 

 (often with tomatoes), and dried for subsequent use. They 



are ready for picking a day or two 



after bloom. 



Okra is grown in essentially the 



same way as com. The seeds are 

 197. Seeds of okra (X 2). sown where the plants are to stand, 

 as the young plants do not transplant with ease. In the 

 Northern States, however, the plants are sometimes started 

 in pots, boxes or on inverted sods iil frames. ■ Okra is a 

 large-growing plant and the rows should be 3 to 4, or even 

 5, feet apart for the larger varieties. In the row the plants 

 should stand 1 to 3 

 feet. In the North 

 certain dwarf and 

 early-maturing varie- 

 ties are usually grown, 

 and these may stand 

 as close as 1 foot, or 

 even less, in the row. , 

 " As soon as the 

 •plants begin to set 

 fruit," writes W. E. Beattie in Farmers' Bulletin No. 333, 

 " the pods should be gathered each day, preferably in the 

 evening. The flower opens during the night or early morn- 

 ing and fades after a few hours. The pollen must be trans- 

 ferred during the early morning, and the pod thus formed 

 will usually be ready for gathering during the latter part 

 of the following day, although the time required to pro- 

 duce a marketable pod varies according to the age of 

 the plant and . the conditions under which it is grown. 



198. Seeailngs of okra (X %). 



