522. Importance

Mustard is a member of the cabbage family. It is used as a salad plant, often with cress, and also for greens. The seeds are used in the manufacture of the mustard of commerce. This plant is often grown in home gardens and to a limited extent for commercial purposes.

523. Culture

In the North the seed may be sown at any time from early spring until fall to obtain a succession of young tender leaves. It is customary to sow as soon as possible in the spring for the early summer crop, in July or August for the fall crop and in September for the spring crop. Southward it is often started in the fall, for cutting early in the spring. The sowings are made in drills a foot or more apart, and then thinned to 5 or 6 inches in the row. White London is perhaps the best variety for the North; Southern Giant Curled is popular in the South. Chinese is a broad-leaved variety, producing a large amount of herbage.