Mustard. Purslane 



61 



are amongst the best of all potherb plants. In many other 

 countiies the mustards supply immense quantities of food, 

 being eaten with rice and other basic materials. 



The seeds are sown very early in spring, and the tender 

 bunch of foliage is ready for use in May or June. In fact, 

 even in the Northern States, on sandy warm land the seeds 

 may be sown in autumn and the plants will be ready for 

 use in early spring, although the seeds may not germinate 

 in the fall. In midsummer the plants run to seed. Care 

 should be exercised not to let the plants seed themselves 

 too freely, as they are likely to escape into unoccupied areas 

 and become weedy. 



The kinds of mustard are many, representing several 

 species of Brassica (Cruciferge or Mustard family). Some 

 of them yield oil from their seeds — used extensively as 

 food and in the arts. They are so little appreciated as 

 potherb vegetables in this country, however, that technical 

 descriptions of them are unnecessary at this point, and the 

 more so as the botanical status of some of them is yet un- 

 settled (see pages 96 to 98). In the South, the Southern 

 Giant Curled mustard {Brassica japonica) is much used, 

 largely taking the place of both spinach and lettuce. The 

 Ostrich Plume is of this race. The Broad-Leaf (Brassica 

 rugosa) is a most robust plant, and gives a ""arge amount of 

 excellent herbage quickly. The young leaves of white and 

 black mustard {Brassica aiha and B. nigra) are sometimes 

 employed as potherbs. 



Purslane, or " pusley,^^ has been much improved by the 

 arts of the plant-breeder, although the wild purslane is 

 prized as a potherb. The ordinary pusley of the field is 



