230 THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
Two Neglected Vegetables 
| ee year we try something new in our 
vegetable garden. It is in a warm, 
sheltered spot along one end of the corn- 
field nearest the house and has just the 
right drainage. The rows correspond with 
those of the cornfield, so that when culti- 
vating the latter one way with the horse, 
we can always include the garden, thereby 
saving much time. Two years ago we 
succeeded so well with a few hills of okra 
and a row of Brussels sprouts that we 
decided to plant about a quarter of an acre 
of each. 
By frequent cultivation and hoeing the 
rows were kept fairly clean. The okra 
seems to have almost no insect enemies, 
although the striped beetle attempted to 
sample the very young plants. Dusting 
with hellebore in the early morning when 
the dew was on the plants soon disposed 
of this pest. As soon as the sprouts were 
well started, however, the cabbage worm 
made its appearance. We kept it subdued 
with a lime and paris-green mixture, using 
but a little of the poison at first and increas- 
ing the strength. With only a few plants 
it is often preferable to remove the worms 
by hand. 
Early in May we planted the okra, seven or 
eight seeds to a hill, the hills being about 
four feet apart. The plants made slow 
progress at first but when the warm weather 
set in, they commenced to grow vigorously. 
A quantity of manure hadbeen spaded into 
each hill, and shortly after the seedlings 
had commenced growing they were thinned 
out to three to a hill. 
The most popular varieties are the Tall 
Green and the Dwarf Green, and there is 
also another not so well known, called the 
Lady Finger, the stalks and leaves of which 
are of much lighter color, and the pod, while 
not as long as that of the tall-growing 
Okra pods picked young may be dried in the sun for 
winter use 
variety, has more of abendorangle. ‘There 
is no choice in taste. 
The Tall Green, under favorable con- 
ditions, grows to a height of about six feet. 
It is an erect-growing plant and does not 
spread near the ground; the bushy, spread- 
ing dwarf okra grows to only half that size 
and is preferable for a border. The long 
and short pods are both found on the giant 
and dwarf types; but we preferred the long- 
podded, tall green kind because the pods 
present a nicer appearance, sell easier and 
look better than the short wide ones when 
cut up. They are also much easier to 
pick. 
The first blossoms on our plants ap- 
peared early in August. The flowers are 
most charming, having something almost 
tropical about their brilliant beauty and 
wonderful coloring, which shades from a 
creamy white to palest yellow, with streaks 
here and there of deep rich brown. The 
leaves are oddly shaped and of a dark green. 
Pods soon begin to form and develop into 
long, heavy, green okras. They are in 
the best condition to eat when about three 
inches long, for they are then young, soft, 
and tender. If picked carefully every day 
and the seeds not allowed to ripen, the plants 
will continue to produce until late in the 
The pale yellow flowers of the okra, appearing in 
August, are as pretty as any in the flower borders. 
The center is rich brown 
season. If wanted for seed, however, allow 
them to mature on the vine; they will be 
from eight inches to a foot in length. The 
pods may also be picked when young and 
dried in the sun for winter use 
We started some of the sprouts in a cold- 
frame in April, and planted others outdoors 
in May. The coldframe was ina warm place 
just south of the house and was over eight 
feet in width so that we also had lettuce, 
onions, squash, radishes, etc., well started 
before the sprouts were put in. The seed 
was planted quite thickly with the rows 
about four inches apart. 
At transplanting time, the weather was 
damp and cloudy, but we were careful to re- 
move from the frame only a few plants at 
a time and to keep the dirt firm around them. 
The ground had been well spaded and raked 
fine, and the seeds planted there made almost 
as good growth as those in the coldframe. 
After considerable hard work the trans- 
planting into the big garden was accom- 
plished. The rows were three and a half 
feet apart and the plants were set about two 
feet apart in the rows. 
May, 1908 
All the wide-spreading leaves with the ex- 
ception of a few at the top, were pulled off 
the sprouts early in September, so as to give 
the tiny cabbage-like buttons plenty of sun- 
light and air. ‘They were very little trouble 
to pick and we sold them in strawberry boxes. 
The ordinary market price was from twelve 
to eighteen cents a quart, but as ours were 
carefully picked over and only the best 
selected, we received from eighteen to 
twenty-two cents a quart. The sprouts 
picked late in the fall are really the most 
delicious, as the flavor is much improved 
by a touch of frost. By hanging the plants 
heads down in the cellar, they kept well for 
some time and we enjoyed our last meal of 
them the first of January. They can also be 
stored in pits by covering the roots with soil 
and banking with straw and dirt. If this 
is done, however, good drainage is very 
important. 
Altogether we received $18 from our 
sale of sprouts and $22 from the okra, and 
we estimated our expenses at 25 cents for 
the seeds, 90 cents for the insecticide, and 
about $8 for our labor. We were thoroughly 
satisfied from our experiment that both 
Brussels sprouts and okra may be success- 
fully grown with but little time and worry, 
and will prove to be two profitable crops. 
Cooking Okra and Brussels. 
Sprouts 
6 Rese eg are several methods of pre- 
paring okra and Brussels sprouts for 
the table. The majority of people use the 
former vegetable either for flavoring soups 
or stews and Brussels sprouts are almost 
always boiled; but both these vegetables are 
exceedingly delicious if cooked in any of 
the following ways: 
Okra. — Wash the pods, cut in pieces and 
boil until tender. Add the okra to an equal 
amount of stewed corn or lima beans, 
and serve with a thick cream sauce. 
Cut the pods in small pieces and boil. 
When thoroughly done, serve in beef soup. 
This gives a most delicious flavor. Okra 
is also a very great addition to an omelette. 
Chop a small quantity and stir it in before 
cooking the omelette. 
Cut in small pieces any left-over beef or 
mutton. Make a -brown sauce, season 
with onion and a small teaspoonful of curry 
powder, add the meat and some boiled 
okra and serve hot. 
Sprouts. —Before cooking Brussels sprouts 
must be washed and only the _ best 
selected. Cook in salted water until tender. 
If served hot with a rich cream sauce they 
have very much the flavor of fresh tender 
cauliflower. They are just as palatable 
when served on toast with melted butter. 
For baking, a thick layer of sprouts which 
have been first parboiled is placed in a 
buttered baking dish. Over this sprinkle 
a layer of breadcrumbs and another layer 
of the sprouts. Cover the top of the dish 
with a thick layer of well-buttered crumbs, 
and barely cover with a white sauce. Bake 
in a rather slow oven until brown. 
Illinois. C. Pract: 
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