CHAPTER XXIX. 

 RADISHES. 



The Radish. Raphanus sativus. 



French, radis; German, radies; Dutch, radijs; Danish, 

 haverdoedike ; Italian, ravanello; Spanish, rabanito; Por- 

 tuguese, rabao. 



Horse-radish. Coclilearia Armor acia. 



French, raifort sauvage; German, meerettig; Dutch, 

 peperwortel; Danish, peberrod; Italian, rafano; Spanish, 

 taramago ; Portuguese, rabao de cavalho. 



The radish is a relish which can be had continuously 

 throughout the year in most parts of California, if proper 

 soil and moisture conditions can be arranged. It is almost 

 a hopeless task to undertake to secure a crisp, delicately 

 flavored radish unless heat and moisture are favorable to 

 quick growth of the plant. It takes some gardening skill, 

 therefore, to produce good radishes in winter localities 

 with sharp frosts and heavy rainfall, while in regions of 

 light frost and light rainfall, winter heat is usually ade- 

 quate to satisfactory growth. 



The best soil for radishes is a rich, sandy loam, though 

 any good garden soil will grow them if a small piece is 

 improved for the purpose as described in the chapter on 

 Vegetables Soils of California. 



Preparation of the soil is essentially the same as that 

 already described for other root-crops, and sowing, as 

 already intimated, can be done whenever the soil is in 

 good condition, if irrigation is available for use in the dry 

 season, and there is free drainage in the winter. Tempera- 

 ture is, however, of more moment to the radish than to 

 some other hardy garden plants, and during the colder 

 months, the raised bed, as previously described, located 



