398 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



in the row and the rows should be far enough apart to use a horse culti- 

 vator. 



Radish. — The radish is common to nearly all farm gardens. It does 

 best in deep, rich, loamy soils. Though grown successfully when the seed 

 is broadcast, it is better to sow in drills a foot apart and use enough seed to 

 produce plants an inch or two apart ; while late varieties should have two 

 to five inches between plants in the row. Among the early varieties which 

 are popular with home and commercial gardeners may be mentioned 

 Earliest White, Round Red Forcing and Scarlet Frame. French Breakfast 

 is a well-known radish, it is bright carmine above and clear white below. 

 The first sowing should be made as soon as the ground can be worked and 

 successive sowings should be made from week to week. 



Rhubarb. — Rhubarb requires a deep, rich, moist soil. It is propagated 

 commonly by roots. Annual applications of manure should be made in 

 order to maintain the supply of organic matter in the soil and to furnish an 

 abundant supply of plant food. Nitrate of soda may be used to advantage 

 as a top dressing. It is ordinarily planted 3 x 4 or 4 x 4 feet apart. Vic- 

 toria and Linnaeus are leading varieties. 



Salsify. — Salsify or "oyster plant" is not as generally grown as it 

 should be in American gardens. This root crop requires the same cultural 

 conditions as the parsnip. It is also a long-season crop and, therefore, the 

 seed should be sown as early as possible in the spring. The roots are stored 

 in the same manner during the winter as parsnips and will not suffer from 

 freezing if left in the ground until spring. 



Spinach. — Spinach is more largely grown in the South than in northern 

 districts, although it should be a most important vegetable in all parts of 

 the country. The usual practice is to sow the seed late in the fall, and the 

 crop will be ready to harvest the following spring. In the North, the better 

 plan is to sow very early in the spring. A successful method is to sow 

 broadcast on the frozen ground and then cover the seed very lightly with 

 fine, rotten manure. This vegetable requires a rich, constantly-moist soil 

 to obtain the best results. Late plantings should be made in drills and the 

 plants thinned to stand from five to six inches apart. 



Squash. — The squash requires practically the same cultural condi- 

 tions as cucumbers, but much more space is required. If the ground 

 is a rich garden loam, the hills should be at least 10 x 10 feet apart, 

 and more liberal spacing for the winter varieties will be an advantage in 

 very rich soil. Summer squash need not be planted any farther apart than 

 cucumbers, or even less space will meet their requirements. Early White 

 Bush, Yellow Bush and Summer Crookneck are popular summer varieties. 

 Hubbard, Warted Hubbard, Golden Hubbard and Boston Marrow are 

 largely grown winter kinds. Squash must be stored in buildings where there 

 is no freezing during the winter and a uniform temperature of 50° F. is 

 most favorable to successful storage. . 



Sweet Corn. — Sweet corn requires the same conditions as field corn, 



