140 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



The Turnip thrives best in a light loamy soil and in a moist 

 season. Drought is fatal, and hence watering must be carefully 

 attended to. 



For a succession of crops the seeds may be sown from the 

 beginning of March to the end of July. Manure may be put on 

 before sowing, and the seed bed must be well worked. By means 

 of the draw hoe and garden line shallow drills are made, not 

 more than two inches deep, and at a distance apart of one foot. 

 In a moist season germination and growth are rapid, and in three 

 weeks from sowing the rows will be ready for thinning, which 

 in the case of small beds may be done by hand picking, or in 

 larger quantities by means of the hoe. For home consumption, 

 medium sized bulbs are better than large ones, and hence it will 

 be sufficient to leave a space of eight inches between the plants. 



" Cardinal " is a good early variety, while " All the Year 

 Round" is satisfactory for main crop sowings. Roots maturing 

 in November should be stored in sand or ashes for winter 

 consumption. 



THE RADISH (Raphanus sativus) 



Cultivation of this crop is very simple. The principal thing 

 is to ensure rapid growth so as to avoid the development of woody 

 fibre in the xylem tissue, which constitutes the edible portion. 

 Hence a deep mellow, rich, well worked seed bed is necessary. 

 Sowings may be made broadcast, commencing in a sheltered 

 position in February, and continuing through the summer at 

 intervals. Thinning can be effected in the process, of pulling 

 the most forward roots for consumption, i.e. provided the seed 

 was thinly sown. 



In town schools where garden ground is not available the 

 seeds may be sown in boxes, provided that good soil can be 

 procured for the boxes, and that the soil is kept fairly moist. 



THE ONION (A Ilium Cepa) 



A vertical section of an Onion plant shows a very short stem 

 wrapped over with thickened scale-leaves. It is therefore a bulb. 

 Usually the plant is a biennial, but occasionally individual plants 



