SALAD PLANTS. 



97 



horizontally in sand, the leaves will sprout and afford a salad when- 

 ever required. Horace thus speaks of chicory : — 



" Me pascunt olivae 

 Me cichorea, levesque malvae." — Ode 31, Book i. 



We must admit that the English do not understand the good 

 qualities of the Radish {Raphanus sativus). In France, go where you 

 will, you are sure to find, on the tables in the restaurants, during the 

 summer and winter months, a glass of water containing young, delicious 

 fresh radishes. Here, radishes are rarely seen except in spring, and then 

 they are so large and coarse that they can only be eaten by any 

 one with strong teeth and a vigorous digestion. We obtain our first 

 radishes in early spring, by sowing the seed in the same frames as 

 our early potatoes ; afterwards, we obtain a crop in the orchard- 

 house. Following these, we get some out of doors, and in some 

 years, by sowing a few every week and by a proper application of the 

 water-pot, we have had radishes 

 till the autumn. There are many 

 varieties, some with long tap roots 

 (fig. 133, b), some turnip-shaped (fig. 

 134), and others are olive-shaped 

 (fig. 133, a); but the French break- 

 fast radish is, to my taste, by far 

 the finest of all the varieties. For 

 private gardens it is well to begin 

 with the early frame, then continue 

 throughout the summer with the 

 olive-shaped and French breakfast ; 

 but a few seeds of the red and- of the white turnip radishes may be 

 sown for use in spring. There is a late variety called the Black 

 Spanish, which comes into use in autumn ; and Mr. Robinson has lately 

 introduced from California a radish as large as a small beet-root. 

 Seed was sown in the Horticultural Gardens in August, and roots 

 were shown before the Committee in December, when they proved 

 to be tender and of excellent flavour. 



H 



Red Olive. Wood's 



early frame. 



Fig. 133. — Radishes, 

 \ diam. 



Fig. 134. — Turnip 

 Radishes, \ diam. 



