Book I. 



INDIAN CRESS. 



667 



4112. Use. The root scraped into shreds is a well known accompaniment of English 

 roast beef. It is also used in winter salads, in sauces, and sometimes eaten raw. 



4113. Propagation and culture. The following excellent instructions are by Knight : " Horse-radish 

 thrives best in deep, soft, sandy, loam, that is not very dry in summer, nor inundated in winter ; the 

 situation must be open. During winter, trench the ground three feet deep, and in the following Fe- 

 bruary procure your sets, in the choice of which take the strongest crowns or leading buds from old plants, 

 cutting them about two inches long. Mark out the ground in four-feet beds and one-foot alleys ; then 

 take from the first bed nine inches of the top soil, laying it upon the adjoining bed ; after which take out 

 an opening at one end of the bed, in the common way of trenching, fifteen inches deep from the present 

 surface ; then level the bottom, upon which plant a row of sets across the bed, at nine inches apart each 

 way, with their crowns upright ; afterwards dig the next trench the same width and depth, turning the 

 earth into the first trench over the row of sets : thus proceeding trench after trench, to the end. Where 

 more than the produce of one bed is required for the supply of the family for twelve months, the third 

 bed is next to be planted, which treat as directed for the first, only observing to lay the earth on the 

 fourth, and so on for any number of beds. Upon every alternate bed, which is not planted, a dwarf 

 annual crop may be grown. The plants must be kept clear from weeds during summer : and as soon 

 as the leaves decay in autumn, let them be carefully raked off with a wooden-toothed rake ; in the fol- 

 lowing February, eighteen inches of the earth of the unplanted bed must be laid as light as possible, 

 and equally over the beds that are planted ; then trench and plant the vacant beds exactly in the same 

 manner as before directed. The following autumn, the first planted horse-radish may be taken up, by 

 opening a trench at one end of the bed to the bottom of the roots, so that the sticks or roots of horse- 

 radish may be taken up entire and sound, which for size and quality will be such as have not generally 

 been seen. The following February the one-year-old crop will require additional earth as before di- 

 rected, which must of course be taken from those beds which are now vacant, which, when done, if the 

 ground appears poor, or unlikely to produce another vigorous crop, they must have a coat of manure." 

 (Hort. Trans, i. 207.) 



4114. Judd has also written on the culture of horse-radish {Hort. Trans, v. 302.), and his practice, though 

 very different from Knight's is also excellent, and perhaps preferable. Knight takes strong buds from old 

 plants, while Judd takes about three inches of the top part of each stick or root, and then cuts clean oflf 

 about a quarter of an inch of this piece under the crown, so as to leave no appearance of a green bud. 

 Judd trenches only two feet deep, and if he applies manure, puts it in the very bottom of the trench ; " for 

 if not so done, the horse-radish, which always puts out some side roots, would send out such large side 

 roots from the main root, in search of the dung lying contiguous, as materially to injure the crop. In 

 planting, holes are made eighteen inches apart every way, and sixteen or eighteen inches deep. The root- 

 cuttings are let down to the bottom of the holes, which are afterwards filled up with fine sifted cinder-dust, 

 and the surface of the bed is then raked over. The season of planting is the middle of March." The essen- 

 tial difference between Knight's plan and Judd's is, that the former produces his root from the root-end 

 of the cutting downwards, and the latter from the bud-end Upwards : hence the one plants near the 

 surface, and the other near the bottom of the trench. Judd's mode seems more certain of producing one 

 entire strong root than Knight's. 



4115. Preserving. Horse-radish, if dug up in autumn, may be preserved through the winter in sheds or 

 cellars, among sand or dry earth. 



Subsect. 8. Indian Cress, or Nasturtium. — Tropceolum majus, L. (Bot. Mag. 23.) 

 Octan. Monog. L. and Geraniacece, J. Capucine, Fr. ; Iiapuzinerblume, Ger. ; and 

 Fior Cappucino, Ital. 



4116. The Indian cress is a hardy annual, a native of Peru, introduced in 1686. The 

 stalks, if supported, will rise eight or ten feet high ; the leaves are peltate, or have their 

 petiole fixed to the centre of the leaf; the flowers are very showy, of a brilliant orange 

 color, and continue in succession from July till destroyed by frost. In its native 

 country, it endures several seasons ; but here, being unable to sustain our winter, it is 

 treated as an annual plant, and requires to be sown every year. 



4117. Use. The flowers and young leaves are frequently eaten in salads ; they have 

 a warm taste, like the common cress, thence the name of nasturtium. The flowers are 

 also used as a garnish to dishes, in which they form a brilliant contrast with the flowers 

 of borage. The berries are gathered green and pickled, in which state they form an 

 excellent substitute for capers. 



4118. Varieties: — 



There is a variety with double flowers, 

 which is propagated by cuttings, and 

 requires to be treated as a green-house 

 plant. The flowers are preferable for 

 garnishing. 



The Tropaohtm minus, a native of Peru, 

 and introduced in 1596, nearly a cen- 

 tury before the other, is also sometimes 

 cultivated for culinary purposes ; but is 

 of weakly growth, and by no means 

 equal to the common in produce. 



There is also a variety of this species 

 with double flowers, propagated by 

 cuttings, and preserved through the 

 winter under glass ; but, like the double 

 variety of T. majus, it is more orna- 

 mental than useful. 



4119. Culture. The single varieties of both sorts are raised from seed, of which one ounce will sow 

 twenty-five feet of drill. The plants will thrive in almost any soil, but a light fresh loam is best, as less 

 likely to make the plants grow rank and luxuriant, and produce few berries, which one that is rich is apt 

 to do. Care must be taken to select good sound seed, berries of the last year, for those of greater age will 

 not grow at all, or not freely and regularly. " Sow in March or April, or not later than the beginning of 

 May, in one small crop, of one, two, or three rows, for a moderate family. Either allot the large sort a 

 situation in a single row, near a vacant fence, trellis, or wall, on which the runners may be trained ; or 

 divide an open compartment into rows, three or four feet asunder, to admit sticks for their support. Form 

 drills an inch and half deep ; in which deposit the seeds two or three inches apart, and earth them over 

 evenly. When the plants begin to advance in runners, let them be trained to a fence or trellis. It is 

 generally necessary, at first, to conduct the main runners, hut they will afterwards climb unassisted." 



4120. Taking the crop. " For pickling let the berries just attain their full size, but pluck them while 

 green, plump, and tender." 



4121. To save seed. " Permit a sufficiency of the berries to remain till mature. In August and Sep- 

 tember, gather them as they ripen ; spread them to dry and harden ; then put them up for sowing next 

 year." (Abercrombie.) 



