236 GARDEXIXG FOR THE SOUTH. 



is suitable, the better. The rows should be eighteen 

 inches apart, the plants twelve inches in the row, and 

 planted eight or ten inches deep. After the beds are 

 planted, smooth the surface and keep clear of weeds, arid 

 avoid treading upon the beds, as they should be kept as 

 light as possible. If planted in March, a crop of radishes 

 or lettuce may be taken off the ground before the plants 

 make their appearance. They speedily root and send up 

 long, straight shoots, those appearing in April that were 

 planted in autumn. The only cultivation is to keep them 

 free from weeds, and remove the decayed leaves in 

 autumn. Hoe and rake the bed over in autumn, and also 

 the following spring. By the next fall, the roots are 

 ready to take up as wanted. If the plants throw up suck- 

 ers, they should be carefully removed as they appear. 



If any manure is applied to horse-radish, it must be put 

 at the bottom of the trench before planting, or the plant 

 will send out side shoots in search of the manure, which 

 would greatly injure the crop. 



To take them up, a trench is dug along the outside row 

 down to the bottom of the upright roots, which are cut off 

 nearly level with the original planting. The earth from 

 the next row is turned over upon them to the desired 

 depth, and so on until finished. The pieces of roots left 

 will send up new shoots, and the same bed will produce 

 well in this way five or six years, when the site of the 

 plantation should be changed ; when this is to be done 

 every piece of root should be taken up, for the smallest of 

 them will vegetate and prove troublesome if left. The 

 best roots come from fresh plantations. 



JT^.-^Horse-radish scraped into shreds with vinegar is 

 a well-known and desirable accompaniment to roast beef. 

 It is also used in fish and other sauces and chicken salads, 

 and is thought to assist digestion. The shreds pickled in 

 strong vinegar and closely stopped in glass bottles will 

 keep for years. 



