150 ROOT CROPS THAT ENDURE SUMMER HEAT 



be large, shapely and of good market " quality . If the soil is too 

 dry or too wet the roots are likely to be small and badly branched. 

 A shallow soil underlaid by a hard sub-soil will likewise produce 

 branching roots of little commercial value. Shallow plowing or 

 hasty and incomplete preparation of a naturally good soil may 

 cause the production of similar roots. The ground should there- 

 fore be deeply plowed and thoroughly pulverized by means of a 

 disk, harrow, and planker before the sets are planted. 



Planting. — Furrows are laid out three feet apart and deep 

 enough to acconmiodate the sets, which may be planted either 

 vertical or slanting and with the top either level with the surface 

 of the soil or three inches below it. Deep planting is more often 

 practiced when the horse-radish is to be started between the rows 

 of early cabbage or peas. In this case the horse-radish sets are 

 planted twelve to eighteen inches apart in rows midway between 

 the rows of the early maturing crop, either at the time that crop 

 is planted or from two to four weeks later. If planted after the 

 other crop is already in the ground it is customary to place the 

 sets in holes made with a crow-bar or dibber rather than to plow 

 out a furrow for them. When grown in this manner the horse- 

 radish receives no attention until the other crop is harvested; 

 the early crop is cultivated the same as if the horse-radish were 

 not there. Being planted deeply, the horse-radish does not start 

 into growth for some time, and it is not materially injured if 

 the tops are cut off by the cultivator two or three times early in 

 the season. After the early crop is off, the horse-radish is culti- 

 vated repeatedly until the leaves shade the ground. 



When grown by itself, horse-radish can be cultivated the same 

 as any other crop requiring good tillage. It should be cultivated 

 at least five or six times. If the sets are planted rather deep, it 

 will be a decided advantage to harrow the field once or twice 

 before the plants appear, and it may also be found eco- 

 nomical to use the harrow in cultivating the first time after the 

 plants are up. 



Harvesting. — Since horse-radish makes its principal growth late 

 in the season, it should be left in the ground as late as possible; 

 but for the sake of convenience and economy in harvesting, the 

 crop should be plowed out before the cold and wet w^eather of 

 winter sets in. The roots should be trimmed before being sold 

 or stored, and the side roots should be saved for sets for the next 

 season's planting. If desired, a part of the crop may be left in 



