194 



Commercial Gardening 



Fig. 508. Horse-radish 



obtained from deeply-worked and well-manured soil, and if planted every 

 year so much the better. The roots are cut up into pieces from 2 or 3 

 to 12 in. long, and are planted about 1 ft. apart in 

 rows 2 ft. wide, although some favour rows 3 ft., 

 and 18 in. between the sets. Planting takes place 

 from January to the end of March in favourable 

 weather. The roots will be ready for use the fol- 

 lowing winter. Some growers plant the cuttings 

 deeply, 1 ft. or more from the surface, by making 

 a hole with a stout stick or a piece of iron, and 

 some use long pieces and others short ones. They 

 all grow whether planted vertically or horizontally, 

 but the most saleable roots come from the sets that 

 have had the crowns buried about 1 ft. from the 

 surface. When sent to market they are tied in 

 bundles (fig. 508), the straightest and most shapely 

 ones naturally finding the quickest sale. 



Hyssop (Hyssopus officAnalis). An evergreen 

 South European under-shrub with oblong lance- 

 shaped leaves, and whorled spikes of white, blue, or pinkish flowers. The 

 aromatic leaves and shoots are used as a condiment and for flavouring. 



The flowering shoots are used to 

 make expectorant infusions. Plants 

 flourish in light soil, and are raised 

 from seeds, cuttings, or division, 

 and when established, require 1 ft. 

 apart each way. 



Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). 

 At one time Liquorice (fig. 509) 

 was extensively grown in the 

 Mitcham neighbourhood, but for 

 years past it has not been a crop 

 sufficiently remunerative to encour- 

 age development. It is a leguminous 

 plant 3 to 4 ft. high, with some- 

 what clammy branches and leaflets, 

 and spikes of pale-blue flowers. It 

 likes deeply dug or trenched sandy 

 soil well enriched with decayed 

 manure, and is raised from cuttings 

 of pieces of root -stems having a 



Fig. 509. -Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) bud Or two. About 3 ft. of Space 



is given to each plant, the ground 



between the rows being cropped with Cabbages, Lettuces, or other vege- 

 tables until the Liquorice fills all the space. Each year the tops are cut 

 down close to the ground, and the soil is dug and manured between the 



