St. Tammany farmer., 1906-02-10
CULTIVATION OF oKRA.

O4AA v ~ 1AON VC OAkN9As
Valuable Information For Growers
of This Popular Southern
Garden Vegetable.
Okra may be grown throughout the
greater portion of the United States.
but only one crop can be produced
during season ia the northern part
of the country. In the region around
New Orleans successive paintings are
made and constant supply is MAIN
tanned. The plant is Of a tropical ma
ture 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 removtd
willie young and nc seeds allowed to
ripen upon the plants.
The soil upon which okra can be
most successfully grown is q rich mel
low loan, plowed rather deeply and
we'll worked over with pulverizing
tools. After the seedlings become es-
tablished and the ros,ts get firm hold
Of the soil, the growth is very rapid
and q large amount Of available plant
food, especially Of a nitrogenous ma
ture, is required. Quick-acting conn
mercial fertilizers may be applied in
moderate quantities, but these should
be well mixed with the soil. The same
conditions that will produce good cot
ton or corn will be found suitable for
the production Of olra-
In the southern states, where a con-
tinous supply is desider, successive
seedlings of four or 1--WE weeks apart
should be made. Plant In rows three
and one-half feet az art for the dwarf
types and four and one-half feet for
the larger growing varieties. Scatter
the seeds in drills, or plant loosely In
hills, as with corn, and cover to .
depth Of / or 2 inches, according to
the compactness and moisture contents
Of the soil.
The seeds may be planted with any
good seed drill, bu. when placed in
hills they should be- separated 3 or 4
inches to allow space for the develop
ment Of the stems. II the soil Is rea-
sonably warm termination will take
place within few days, but should
there be heavy rainfall in the mean-
time the soil should be lightly culti-
waited between the rows and the crust
broken over the seed by the means Of
an iron rake.
AS soon as the plants are we'll estab-
lished they may be thinned to three or
four in hill, or, IL grown in drills, to
IL or IA inches for the dwarf and Is to
"a inches for the larger growing va
rieties. Where vacant places occur
from failure in termination they may
be filled in by transplanting. Cultivate
as in the case Of corn of cotton, keep
ing the ground well stirred and the
surface soil loose, especially while the
plants are small. After the leaves be-
gin to shade the ground very little
cultivation is necessary except to keep
the land free from Weeds. A poor soil
and insufficient mo. sture will yield
pods Of inferior size aud quality, and
irrigation may often be desirable in or
der to produce marketable crop.
Okra is sometimes grown as a mixed
crop with cotton, the okra being re-
moved before the cotton begins to ma
ture; but this practice is not to be rec
commended as both crops draw heavily
upon the nitrogen0us matter Of the
soil. The okra plants will usually con-
tinue to grow until late In season, but
after q time the pods are not so large
or tender as those produced earlier In
the season, as the pond is only part Of
the plant ordinarily used for food, It
is desirable to secure rapid and con-
tinuous growth in order to produce
the greatest quality of marketable
pods.-Tri-State Farmer.