SALADS AND HERBS 129 



THE RADISH (Raphanus sativus). There is scarcely any 

 food-plant that is more widely known and used than the Radish, 

 and hardly one so badly treated ! I suggest that the ease of 

 culture that characterizes the Radish is responsible for the 

 latter fact, as this induces carelessness on the part of the gar- 

 dener. Radishes which are badly-grown and strong are unfit 

 for human food ; on the other hand, a quickly-grown, mild, 

 crisp, " watery " Radish is a luxury, not too often met with ! 

 The essential conditions governing the production of the latter 

 kind are speed of growth, a moist soil, and thin sowing; 

 the neglect of the latter often accounts for failure to produce 

 palatable roots. Size, as a rule, means deterioration ; although, 

 under good culture, large roots can be obtained of excellent 

 quality. Radishes form one of the most accommodating of 

 catch-crops. A few seeds dropped along or between the drills 

 of Carrots, Beet, Onions, etc., will germinate and produce 

 eatable bulbs before the main-crop plants require their final 

 thinning. A few seeds also scattered on the surface after 

 Potato sets have been planted will be ready for use by the 

 time the ground needs to be disturbed to cultivate the Potatoes ; 

 and the same operation can be performed upon heaps of leaves, 

 rubbish, manure, etc., that may lie awaiting future use ; in 

 fact, the smallest vacant space may be utilized. A shallow bed 

 of fermenting material, upon which is placed a six-inch layer of 

 rich, fine soil, makes an ideal Radish bed for early spring use ; 

 as also does a mild, or even a spent, hotbed upon which a frame 

 is placed. A deep, rich, friable soil is much appreciated by the 

 Radish ; and a cool site in summer is a necessity, when the 

 bed should be made firm to induce bulb-formation. The winter 

 kinds require an open site, plenty of air, light and moisture, 

 and severe thinning-out. In every case, quick growth should 

 be the main object of the gardener. Sowings of the earliest 

 and tenderest varieties are made, under glass protection, from 

 January onwards until March or April, when the succession is 

 maintained by the outdoor sowings. But the sowing of summer 

 Radishes is usually suspended by the end of August or beginning 

 of September, and that of the winter varieties substituted. 

 The golden rule to be observed by growers is a small successional 

 sowing every three weeks, the wide scattering of the seeds, 

 and every incentive to quick growth afforded the plants. Leaf- 

 mould is a fine medium for the early sorts. 



The varieties are very numerous. They may be culturally 

 divided into three groups (i) Early or Forcing Radishes 

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