HORSE-RADISH 263 



Cultivation. Garlic thrives best on a well-enriched sandy loam. 

 At the North the plantings should be made in April or May by 

 placing the cloves 4 inches apart in rows from 14 to 16 inches 

 apart, and covering them with I inch of soil. The soil should be 

 kept loose and well tilled so as to prevent weed competition. As 

 soon as the tops ripen down the bulbs are mature and should be 

 harvested. The common practice is to harvest the bulbs with the 

 tops adhering and to weave them together in such a way as to 

 hold the bulbs on the outside of a braid of considerable length. 

 If these braids are suspended in an airy place and protected from 

 rain and frost the bulbs will keep for a long time. 



The cloves are the only part of the plant used in cooking, and 

 the chief use of these is in flavoring soups and stews. 



HORSE-RADISH 



Horse-radish was considered an essential of every old-fashioned 

 garden. Somewhere about every old house site throughout the east- 

 ern United States horse-radish will be found ; sometimes in a fence 

 corner, sometimes near the pump. In many places it is the only 

 mark left to indicate the site of an early habitation. 



While formerly cultivated chiefly in amateur gardens, horse-radish 

 is now extensively grown in a few localities as a commercial product. 

 A section of country in the immediate vicinity of St. Louis is at 

 present the chief center for the production of this crop. While 

 always available in the markets, it is used only as a condiment. Its 

 chief value lies in the pungent flavor, which renders it a pleasant 

 relish much used in America during the winter and spring months 

 in connection with cold meats and shellfish. 



Botany. Botanically, this plant belongs to the same genus as 

 cabbage, but, specifically, it is different from it, being known as 

 Cochlearia armoracia L. (Nasturtium armoracia Fries). In its 

 natural state it revels in moist lowlands, but under cultivation it 

 thrives upon well-drained uplands. The chief drawback to its cul- 

 tivation is the fact that when once planted upon an area it is diffi- 

 cult to eradicate ; for this reason it is looked upon with disfavor 

 by truckers and market gardeners. An interesting peculiarity of 

 the horse-radish is that in this country, under normal conditions, it 



