290 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 



Soil. The soil for early radishes should be light. Well- 

 decayed barnyard manure worked into the land in the 

 fall will put it in good condition. Fresh stable manure 

 has a tendency to make radishes go to leaves at the 

 expense of roots. For very early sowing, select a well- 

 drained, sunny slope; the later sowings will do best 

 in a cool, moist place. Work the soil fine to a depth of 

 four inches for the early round type and six inches for 

 the long type. 



Sowing. Sow the early radishes in drills six inches apart 

 and thin to about two inches in the row. Sow summer 

 and winter radishes in drills twelve inches apart and 

 thin to three or four inches. The depth should be half 

 an inch, early in the spring, when the ground is moist, 

 and one inch later in the season. If the ground is dry, 

 pour water in the drills before the seeds are sown and 

 cover them with fine soil. During hot weather, mois- 

 ture may be held in the soil by laying a board or a gunny 

 bag over the row for two or three days. 



Culture. Thin early, so that the roots of remaining 

 plants will not be disturbed. Keep the soil fine by cul- 

 tivating with a rake after every rain. If the land should 

 break up in small clods, crush them with the back of 

 a hoe. 



Transplanting. Radishes may be transplanted when 

 the fourth leaf is formed. By selecting the strongest 

 plants and setting them deeper than in the seed bed, a 

 good quality of root may be obtained. Shade the plants 

 for a day or two. 



