The plant known as New Zealand spinach is not a true spinach, but grows
much larger and should be planted in rows 3 feet apart, with the plants
12 to 18 inches apart in the row. Some difficulty may be experienced in
getting the seeds to germinate, and they should be soaked one or two
hours in hot water before planting. New Zealand spinach is satisfactory
for growing in warm climates, as it withstands heat better than the
ordinary spinach. The fleshy leaves and tender stems are cooked the
same as spinach.
OKRA (_Gumbo_).
This plant may be grown throughout the greater portion of the United
States, but only one crop can be produced during a season in the
northern part of the country. In the region around New Orleans
successive plantings are made and a constant supply is maintained. The
plant is of a tropical nature and will not endure frost, but the pods
begin to be produced very soon after the plants start into rapid growth
and continue to form for several weeks, especially if all pods are
removed while young and no seeds allowed to ripen upon the plants.
_Soil and Its Preparation._--The soil upon which okra can be most
successfully grown is a rich mellow loam, plowed rather deeply and
well worked over with pulverizing tools. After the seedlings become
established and the roots get a firm hold of the soil, the growth is
very rapid and a large amount of available plant food, especially of a
nitrogenous nature, is required. Quick-acting commercial fertilizers
may be applied in moderate quantities, but these should be well mixed
with the soil. The same conditions that will produce good cotton or
corn will be found suitable for the production of okra.
_Planting the Seed._--Throughout the Northern States planting should
be done as early as possible in spring, or as soon as the soil is
warm enough for the planting of general garden seeds. In the Southern
States, where a continuous supply is desired, successive seedings of
four or five weeks apart should be made. Plant in rows 3-1/2 feet apart
for the dwarf types, and 4-1/2 feet for the larger-growing varieties.
Scatter the seeds in drills, or plant loosely in hills, as with corn,
and cover to a depth of 1 or 2 inches, according to the compactness and
moisture content of the soil. The seeds may be planted with any good
seed drill, but when placed in hills they should be separated 3 or 4
inches to allow space for the development of the stems. If the soil is
reasonably warm, germination will take place within a few days, but
should there be a heavy rainfall in the mean time the soil should be
lightly cultivated between the rows and the crust broken over the seed
by means of an iron rake.
_Cultivation._--As soon as the plants are well established they may
be thinned to three or four in a hill, or, if grown in drills, to 12
or 14 inches for the dwarf and 18 to 24 inches for the larger growing
varieties. Where vacant places occur from failure in germination
they may be filled in by transplanting. Cultivate as in the case of
corn or cotton, keeping the ground well stirred and the surface soil
loose, especially while the plants are small. After the leaves begin
to shade the ground, very little cultivation is necessary except to
keep the land free from weeds. A poor soil and insufficient moisture
will yield pods of inferior size and quality, and irrigation may
often be desirable in order to produce a marketable crop. Okra is
sometimes grown as a mixed crop with cotton, the okra being removed
before the cotton begins to mature; but this practice is not to be
recommended, as both crops draw heavily upon the nitrogenous matter of
the soil. The okra plants will usually continue to grow until late in
the season, but after a time the pods are not so large or tender as
those produced earlier in the season. As the pod is the only part of
the plant ordinarily used for food, it is desirable to secure a rapid
and continuous growth in order to produce the greatest quantity of
marketable pods.
_Gathering and Marketing._--As soon as the plants begin to set fruit
the pods should be gathered each day, preferably in the evening. The
flower opens during the night or early morning and fades after a few
hours. The pollen must be transferred 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 produce
a marketable pod varies according to the age of the plant and the
conditions under which it is grown. The pods should always be gathered,
irrespective of size, while they are still soft and before the seeds
are half grown.--(F. B. 232.)
_Cultivation for Seed._--If okra is to be grown for seed alone, only
one variety should be planted, or if more than one variety is grown
each should be separated from the other by at least one-fourth mile
to prevent mixing. When several varieties of okra are grown near each
other no seed should be saved except that produced by the method of
bagging and hand pollination. To secure seed in this way is a rather
simple matter when only a small quantity is required, as the pods
formed on a single day when the plants are at their best will produce
enough seed. The bags should be tied over the flower buds in the
evening and the pollen transferred early the following day. Replace
the bags immediately, as an insect or the wind may at any moment bring
to the flower the pollen of another variety. After going over all
the flowers of a variety it is well to return to the first three or
four and repollinate them in order that they may receive pollen from
different individual flowers of the same variety and to insure perfect
fertilization. Before beginning upon another variety the brush used for
transferring the pollen should be thoroughly cleaned. If a brush is not
available, use a portion of a young leaf, folded together between the
thumb and finger, to convey the pollen. This improvised brush should be
discarded and a new one adopted for each variety. The bags need remain
only during the day on which the pollen is transferred and may be
replaced by a tag to mark the pod. The seed should remain on the plant
until fully ripe.
The common bumblebee is a frequent visitor to the flowers of the okra,
and a single bee was on one morning observed to pollinate over 500
flowers, comprising more than 50 separate samples. In this instance
practically every flower in the field was visited and pollinated,
although no pollen had previously been transferred. This observation
demonstrated the necessity of great care to prevent cross-pollination.
Our variety tests with okra have shown that seed growers have not
always succeeded in keeping the varieties separate, and as a result
there has been a gradual blending together of all the sorts. In many of
the samples all the sorts usually grown are represented.
_Uses._--The principal use of okra is in soups and various culinary
preparations in which meats form an important factor, as in the
so-called gumbo soups, to which the young pods impart an excellent
flavor, besides giving a pleasant mucilaginous consistency. The young
seeds are occasionally cooked in the same way as green peas, and the
very young and tender pods are boiled and served as a salad with French
dressing. Both the stem and the mature pod contain a fibre which is
employed in the manufacture of paper. No copper, brass, or iron cooking
vessels should be employed in preparing okra, as the metal will be
absorbed and the pods discolored or even rendered poisonous. The
cooking should be done in agate, porcelain, or earthen ware.--(F. B.
232.)
_Varieties._--There are three general types of okra, viz., tall green,
dwarf green, and lady finger. Each of these is again divided according
to the length and color of the pods, making in all six classes or
varieties, namely, tall green, long pod; tall green, short pod; dwarf
green, long pod; dwarf green, short pod; lady finger, white pod; and
lady finger, green pod. All variations from these are merely the
results of mixtures, no true crosses or hybrids being formed. These
mixtures are easily separated and referred to the parent type, and a
little attention to roguing and selection is necessary in order to keep
the varieties pure. It is essential that the parietal strain should
be pure in order that a uniform and marketable lot of pods may be
produced.--(F. B. 232, 255; U. Id. E. S. 10.)