This plant, like the carrot, is too little grown, as its green pods
impart a fine flavor and consistency to soups and mixed stews; besides
being very palatable when stewed and served as is a dish of asparagus;
the pods can also be dried for winter use. The seeds should be
planted in drills, and if the dwarf variety be used, which I think is
preferable, as it produces an abundance of pods and does not take up
nearly so much room, the plants may be allowed to stand about one and
a half feet apart in the row, the rows being three feet apart, though
a quarter or half a row in the kitchen garden, as here described, will
furnish an ample supply, both for use and drying. For either purpose,
they should be cut before the pods attain their full size or they will
be hard and woody. For drying, the best way is to string them on a
fine wire or thread and suspend them to the rafters of a cool loft or
garret until wanted for use. The culture of this vegetable is very
simple, as the seeds are planted in drills about two inches deep, and
the after treatment is the same as for corn.
[Illustration: OKRA.]