Cultural Directions. — 243 



HOREHOUND. 



Marrubium vulgarc. German, Andorn ; French, Marrube 

 Blanc. — A perennial hardy plant easily grown from seed sown in 

 spring, or propagated by a division of the tufts. The plant is 

 much used as a cough remedy, especially in the form of " hore- 

 hound candy." Plant in drills one foot apart. 



HORSE-RADISH. 



Cochlearia {Nasturtiuni) Armoracia. German, Meercttig ; 

 Yrtnch, Raifort Saiivage ; Spanish, Taramago. — Horse-radish is 

 hardly ever found in the home garden as a cultivated vegetable. 

 It is allowed to propagate itself at will from pieces of root left in 

 the ground where a plant had once been set out, or otherwise 

 obtained a foothold, usually in the back-yard or some out-of-the- 

 way place. From this source the family gets an abundant 

 supply year after year, without ever bestowing care or attention 

 to it. 



For both the market and farm garden, however, horse- 

 radish is a most important crop, and almost invariably a profitable 

 one. It delights in deep, rich, moist soil; and requires but a 

 minimum of cultivation, since it makes a very large amount of 

 top, thus giving the weeds little chance, at the same time keeping 

 the ground well-shaded, moist and mellow. 



Planting and Cultivation. — Horse-radish produces no 

 seed, but is always grown from "sets" or pieces of the smaller 

 roots, cut 4 to 8 inches in length, with upper end slanting and lower 

 end square. For culture in the farm garden, the ground is well- 

 manured, deeply plowed, and otherwise thoroughly worked ; 

 then marked out in rows from 2 to 3 feet apart. Here the root 

 pieces or sets are planted 15 to 18 inches apart. This is done 

 by making a hole with a long slim dibber or planting stick, or a 

 small, light iron bar, and dropping the set, square-end down, into 

 it, so that the top end is left slightly below the surface. The 

 soil is then pressed firmly against the set. With cultivator 

 (or wheel-hoe) and hand-hoe the ground is kept free from weeds, 

 until the heavy top growth makes further working among the 

 crop unnecessary. 



The eastern market gardener adopts a somewhat different 

 course. With him horse-radish is chiefly grown as a second 

 crop, yet planted almost simultaneously with a first crop. 

 It usually is made to follow early cabbages, cauliflower or 

 early beets. Just as soon as the first crop is planted, the 

 horse-radish sets are put out, in the manner described, in a 

 row midways between each two rows of the first-crop vegetables, 



