254 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



Cooking Radishes. Mr. Samuel Haigh, of San Jose, reports 

 an experiment with cooking Long Scarlet radishes which he grew 

 as large as carrots, being \y 2 inches in diameter and six to eight 

 inches long; solid and crisp, but just beginning to get keen. Peeling 

 removes this, however, making the cooked vegetable very palatable 

 and of an excellent flavor, superior to the common white turnip, 

 which takes much longer to grow. 



Varieties. Popular favor runs in the direction of the turnip- 

 shaped varieties, of which there are very many. The long radishes, 

 like the Long Scarlet, are, however, often chosen for home use. 

 The Icicle is a beautiful long, white variety. The Early Scarlet 

 Turnip is most largely grown and there are several strains of it 

 varying in earliness and color. The French Breakfast, oval, tipped 

 with white, stands next to the Scarlet Turnip sorts. The Italian 

 market gardeners grow what is known as the "Half-Long," a va- 

 riety of Rose Olive-Shaped and the Black Spanish, very desirable 

 for winter growth. Epicure is small and very quick and beautifully 

 colored red to white. The White Turnip, similar to Scarlet Turnip 

 except in color, is popular with German gardeners, and the Chartier 

 has some popularity as a large scarlet variety, shading to pink and 

 thence to white at the root-tip. The Crimson Giant is very large 

 and generally solid and crisp. The California Mammoth White, in- 

 troduced by the Chinese, distances all others for size. It is pure 

 white, mild-flavored and crisp, even though it may grow eighteen 

 inches in length and three inches in diameter in six weeks, with 

 interior heat on light soil, abundantly moist. The Long White 

 Japanese or Japanese Summer, is also in the race for size, but is 

 slower in reaching it. 



HORSE-RADISH. 



Horse-radish is a popular relish in California towns and is 

 bottled on quite a large scale. The plant is easily grown and should 

 be found in every farm garden. A start is most conveniently made 

 by planting root sets. Mr. Ira W. Adams advises planting the roots 

 or sets in rows two feet apart with the sets one foot apart in the 

 rows, and three or four inches under the surface. On rich, moist 

 soil, with the best of cultivation, one can raise roots that will weigh 

 from one-half to three-quarters of a pound. When the roots are 

 dug in the winter for use, break off all the small rootlets from one- 

 quarter to one-half inch in diameter, cut into pieces from three to 

 five inches long, leaving the top end square, and the bottom end 

 slanting, so there will be no mistake in planting them upside down. 

 Tie in small bunches and put into moist sand that has perfect drain- 

 age and is exposed to the weather. In very cold, long, heavy rains 

 it is well to cover with shakes, or short pieces of boards. A cool 

 cellar is a good place to store them, but be careful the sand is never 

 allowed to get dry, as the sets will not root nicely without continual 

 moisture. Then during the winter, as the ground becomes warm 



