68 ESCULENT HOOTS. 



may be sown either broadcast or in drills ; but the latter 

 method is preferable, as allowing the roots to be drawn regu- 

 larly, with less waste. For the spindle-rooted kinds, mark 

 out the drills half an inch deep, and five or six inches apart ; 

 for the small, turnip-rooted kinds, three quarters of an inch 

 deep, and six inches asunder. As the plants advance in 

 growth, thin them so as to leave the spindle-rooted an inch 

 apart, and the larger-growing sorts proportionally farther. 



Open Culture. Sow in spring as soon as the ground can 

 be worked. If space is limited, Radishes may be sown with 

 onions or lettuce. When grown with the former, they are 

 said to be less affected by the maggot. For a succession, a 

 small sowing should be made each fortnight until midsum- 

 mer, as the early-sown plants are liable to become rank and 

 unfit for use as they increase in size. 



Radishes usually suffer from the drought and heat incident 

 to the summer, and, when grown at this season, are gener- 

 ally fibrous and very pungent. To secure the requisite shade 

 and moisture, they are sometimes sown in beds of asparagus, 

 that the branching stems may afford shade for the young rad- 

 ishes, and render them more crisp and tender. A good cri- 

 terion by which to judge of the quality of a Radish is to 

 break it asunder by bending it at right angles. If the parts 

 divide squarely and freely, it is fit for use. 



Production and Quantity of Seed. To raise seed of the 

 spring or summer Radishes, the best method is to transplant ; 

 which should be done in May, as the roots are then in their 

 greatest perfection. Take them up in moist weather ; select 

 plants with the shortest tops and the smoothest and best- 

 formed roots ; and set them, apart from all other varieties, 

 in rows two feet and a half distant, inserting each root 

 wholly into the ground, down to the leaves. With proper 

 watering, they will soon strike, and shoot up in branching 

 stalks, producing abundance of seeds, ripening in autumn. 



