The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-20

merce, it is closely related to several
genera containing fiber producing
plants: Sida, Malva, Althea, and La
vatera. It's most important relative is
cotton (Gossypium SPY, of vegetables,
okra (Hibiscus esculente L.) is re-
lated to the Rose1le. Among other
related ornamental plants may be
mentioned species of Abutilon, Fib1s-
Gus, Althea and Malva
In habit it resembles the cotton
plant, it's reddish stems branching out
from close to the ground up to five or
six feet high it thus makes very at
tractive shrub plant for summer growth
in sections where it may not even
reach the blooming stage. The leaves,
when grown, at first entire, later on
change to a palmately five parted;
later, the leaves in whose axis the
flowers are borne are three parted.
Flowers yellow, with red eye, borne
singly in the axis Of the leaves, after
the fashion, if I remember rightly, of
the Calycanthus of the North, COM
monty known as the Sweet Shrub
Prof Wester claims that in less than
three weeks from the time of bloom,
the fruit attains it's full size This may
be true as far down the East Coast as
Miami, but it takes longer in the
central part of Florida half way be-
tween gulf and ocean, fruiting in
early November, and does not ma
ture before January.
At present there is but one va
riety, but experiments are being made
at the Sub-Tropica1 Garden, in the
line of systematized breeding, and at
at least one new variety, now in it's
second generation, has been deemed
worthy of name, and Victor has been
attached to it. The foliage is un-
changed, but the habit of growth
dwarfed and the calyces larger and
closer pressed to the seed pod than
IN the common variety.
AS to cultivation, any soil moderate
ly rich or supplied with small "feed"
Of commercial fertilizer, will do.
Stable manure is not recommended
except sparlngly, to be followed by
potash, as, like many other plants,
notably the pineapple, too great a sup
ply Of ammonia leads to large bushes
and scanty crop. This, says Mr..
Wester, is particularly true on low
lying land where moisture is abundant,
and the high pine lands in Florida are
tor this reason preferable to the muck
and prairie lands. Good drainage is
necessity for successful culture. It is
said to be subject to the root-knot.
May 18th is indicated as about the
right time to plant the seed in South
Florida, either in seed bed or in open
ground. For several years I have
had volunteer bushes that fruited,
growing from seed dropped the pre-
vlous season and unhurt by cold.
Rows six to ten feet apart, plants set
four to eight feet in the row, accord
ing to the richness of the soil. ANY
one (and who does not) who knows
how to set out cabbage, tomato, okra
or egg plant, will know how to take
roselle from the seed bed and reset
in open ground. But when conditions
are favorable as to warmth of soil,
seeding in the ground on the spot
where the bush is to grow has been
found to be successful in the "sand
hllp' country in South Florida.
A formula for fertilizer is given.
but experiments have not been carried
far enough to indicate the best form
in which it should be applied. Mean
time Mr.. Wester says a formula of
4 per cent nitrogen, 6 per cent phos-
phorlc acid and 7 per cent Of potash
has given good results. If is Alto