OKRA. 



171 



Bliss's Abundance. — Half-dwarf, branching, of excellent qual- 

 ity and very productive. Late. 



Nott's Execlsior. — A new, very productive, early dwarf va- 

 riety that is becoming very popular, and in some sections much 

 preferred to the American Wonder. 



THE MALLOW FAMILY. (Order Malvaceae.) 

 The mallow family is known by its numerous stamens which 

 have their filaments grown together and are attached to the base 

 of the petals. The petals are twisted together in the bud. Seeds 

 kidney-shaped. Herbs or shrubs mucilaginous with very tough 

 fibrous bark, none of them poisonous. Okia is the only plant 

 of this family v/hich is frequently grown in gardens, but the 

 common cotton plant also belongs here' as well as the abutilon 

 mallow, hibiscus, althaea and hollyhock of our gardens. 



OKRA. (Hibiscus esculentus.) 



Native of South America. — Annual. — The seed is round and 

 of medium size. It is cultivated for its green seed pods, which 

 are highly esteemed for soup. Little grown except at the south. 

 It is of the easiest culture. The seed should be sown about two 

 inches apart in rows two feet apart and in rich, warm soil, at 

 about the time for planting beans. The pods are produced abun- 

 dantly but are perhaps not as tender when grown in our dry 

 atmosphere as they are in the south. The flowers are large, yel- 

 low and very pretty. 



The varieties known as Dwarf Green and Long Green are 

 best for our climate. 



THE PARSNIP FAMILY. (Order umbelliferae.) 



The parsnip family is made up of herbaceous plants come 

 of which are aromatic and others that are acid-narcotic poisons. 



V 



