106 
House & Garden’s 
The one positive test of the ripeness of 
corn is to strip the sheath leaves partly 
away from the ear. In the eyes of an 
expert the “feel” of the ear, the condi¬ 
tion of the silk, etc., are significant 
Ripeness rather than ma¬ 
turity marks the time to 
gather vegetables. The 
former connotes high 
table quality, but the lat¬ 
ter often spells toughness 
and loss of fine flavor 
Peas should be picked as soon as the 
pods are well filled out. Leaving them 
on the vines longer than that means 
that when they appear on the table they 
will be more or less mealy 
The keeping of notes, of 
records of the garden’s 
growth, is at once a pleas¬ 
ant task and a valuable 
future guide. Planting 
and harvesting dates 
should be set down 
WHEN TO PICK 
VEGETABLES 
^'P'HE greatest asset of the home vegetable 
X garden is the opportunity it offers for sup¬ 
plying the table with the best of things in their 
most palatable stage of development. Un¬ 
fortunately, many beginners to not realize that 
a delay of a few days in picking often means 
the difference between beans or peas or corn 
that are tender and juicy, and the same vege¬ 
tables in a toughened and more or less passe 
condition. Distinction should always be made 
between ripeness and maturity. The former 
connotes high table quality; the latter often 
spells the opposite. 
See to it, then, that your fresh vegetables 
do not grow too old before you gather them. 
Thus will you benefit your bill-of-fare, and be 
enabled sooner to prepare the ground for a 
new sowing. 
Gather the onions as 
soon as their tops die 
down. Pull them and 
lay them on their sides 
for a day or two to dry 
before removing the roots 
and tops 
Okra is comparatively 
little known in the North, 
though well adapted to 
growing there. The 
fleshy, glutinous pods are 
the edible part of the 
plant 
