PLANTS CULTIVATED FOE THEIR SUBTERRANEAN PARTS. 33 



rooted Raphanistrum in both stiff and light soil, and in 

 the_ fourth generation he obtained fleshy radishes, of 

 varied colour and form like those of our gardens. He 

 even gives the figures, which are really curious and con- 

 clusive. The pungent taste of the radish was not 

 wanting. »To obtain these changes, Carrifere sowed in 

 September, so as to make the plant almost biennial 

 instead of annual. The thickening of the root was the 

 natural result, since many biennial plants have fleshy 

 roots. 



The inverse experiment remains to be tried — to sow 

 cultivated radishes in a poor soil. Probably the roots 

 would become poorer and poorer, while the siliquae would 

 become more and more articulated. 



From all the experiments I have mentioned, Ba- 

 phanus aativus might well be a variety of B. ra- 

 phanistrum, an unstable variety determined by the 

 existence of several generations in a fertile soil. We 

 cannot suppose that ancient uncivilized peoples made 

 essays like those of Carriere, but they may have noticed 

 plants of Maphanistnim grown in richly manured soil, 

 with more or less fleshy roots ; and this soon suggested 

 the idea of cultivating them. 



I have, however, one objection to make, founded on 

 geographical botany. Maphanus raphanistrv/m is a 

 European plant which does not exist in Asia.^ It can- 

 not, therefore, be this species that has furnished the in- 

 habitants of India, China, and Japan with the radishes 

 which they have cultivated for centuries. On the other 

 hand, how could B. raphanistrum,, which is supposed 

 to have been modified in Europe, have been transmitted 

 in ancient times across the whole of Asia ? The transport 

 of cultivated plants has commonly proceeded from Asia 

 into Europe. Chang-Kien certainly brought vegetables 

 from Bactriana into China in the second century B.C., 

 but the radish is not named among the number. 



Horse-radish — Cochlearia Armoracia, Linnaeus. 



This Crucifer, whose rather hard root has the taste of 



• Ledebonr, Fl. Ross. ; Boisiier, Fl. Orient. Works on the flora of the 

 valley of the Amur. 



