STOKES SEED FARMS COMPANY 



MOORESTOWN 



NEW JERSEY 



Radish 



(Raphanus Sativus) 



History — Probably a native of Asia. Although the original wild 

 plant has never been identified, there seems to be some question 

 whether oui- cultivated radish has developed from the wild radish 

 as we now know it. Phillip, in his EUstory of Cultivated Vegetables, 

 1822, places China as the origin. In any event, because of the ac- 

 counts left by ancient natui-alists, its culture apparently has come 

 down from the most remote times. The Greeks were especially fond 

 of them, and in their sacred offerings to ApoUo in the Temple of 

 Delphi, radishes were always served on beaten gold, whereas tm- 

 nips were served on lead and beets on silver. An ancient Greek 

 writer thought so highly of the radish that he devoted an entire 

 book to the subject. Plin}^ speaks at length on radish, referring 

 especially to those from Egj'pt. He states that salt groimds no doubt 

 produced the sweetest sorts. Pliny speaks of single 

 radishes weighing as high as fortj' pounds apiece, 

 while we are assured bj' other authors that they were 

 known to grow to weigh one himdred pounds. Rad- 

 ishes were introduced into France and England about 

 1500. During Queen EUzabeth's reign, Gerard culti- 

 vated four different varieties, the direct descendants 

 of which we are, no doubt, enjoying at the present time. 

 I refer particularlj"^ to the Long Scarlet, Black Spanish 

 and Long White, all of which are well and favorably 

 known today. The former was introduced in America 

 by Collins in 1795, and thirty-one years afterward was 

 listed by Landreth. 



No. 875. Earliest Scarlet Forcing. Days to 

 Maturity, 20. Listed by Gregory as Early Scarlet 

 Olive as ea;rly as 1866. A variety suited to early forcing 



work or for home gar- 

 den culture, where the 

 greatest care may be 

 given it. The root is 

 olive-shaped, of a bril- 

 liant color, attaining a 

 maximimi size before 

 becoming pithy, of one 

 and one-quarter inches in 

 length and five-eighths 

 inches in diameter. It 

 must be puUed immedi- 

 ately on attaining full 

 size, otherwise it will 

 become pithy within a 

 very few days. The flesh 

 is white, crisp and of 

 excellent flavor . This is the earliest rad- 

 ish under cultivation, and should not 

 be grown except as mentioned above. 



Pkt. 5f*, oz. lOff, H lb. B5i, lb. 

 $1.25, 5 lbs. $6.00, postpaid; by 

 express, 5 lbs. or more, %1.10 per lb. 



No. 877. Early Scarlet Globe. 

 Days to Mattjbity, 25, under favor- 

 able conditions, and imder unfavor- 

 able conditions, 30 days. A variety 

 in larger general use for aU puposes 

 than an J' other radish. The root is 

 rich bright scarlet, short olive-shaped 

 or short oval, and the top is smaller. 

 It wiU mature five days after Earliest 

 Scarlet Forcing. Maximum size be- 

 fore becoming pithy is one and one- 

 quarter inches long by three-quarters 

 inch in diameter. As compared with 

 Scarlet Ohve-Shaped, it is shorter, 

 slightly lighter in color and two daj's 

 earUer in maturing. The interior of 

 the root is pure white, mild, crisp and 

 fine grained. Its season is rather 

 short, and it must be pulled reasonably 

 soon after maturity. Recommended 

 for the home garden, for the market 

 garden or for greenhouse forcing. 



Pkt. 5i, oz. m, ~H lb. 35i, lb. 

 $1.25, 5 lbs. $6.00, postpaid; by 

 express, 5 lbs. or more, $1.10 per lb. 



No. 880. French Breakfast. Days 

 to Maturity, 28. Offered by B. K. 

 Bliss in 1866 as a new "variety." An 

 olive-shaped radish, deep scarlet in 

 color, except for a very slight white tip 

 at the base of the root. It resembles 

 Sparkler 'WTiite Tip, except that it is 

 slightly darker in color and is oHve- 

 shaped instead of round. Its season 

 is shorter than the latter variety, and, 

 therefore, must be pulled soon after 

 reaching its maximum size of one inch 



in diameter. 



EARLY SCARLET GLOBE 



(Natural Size) 



WHITE ICICLE (Natural Size) 



The strain of French 

 Breakfast as offered now 

 is much improved over 

 the old tj'pe. 



Pkt. 5?;, oz. m, H lb. 

 35?;, lb. S1.25,51bs.$6.00, 

 postpaid; by express, 5 

 lbs. or more, $1.10 per 

 lb. 



No. 882. Sparkler 

 White Tip. Days to 

 Maturity, 28. Thistj-pe 

 of radish has been grown 

 in America for a great 

 man}' years, originating 

 under the name of 

 Scarlet Turnip White- 

 Tip. As such it was 

 listed by Johnson & Stokes in the eighties. A verj' 

 desirable variety for home garden purposes, and 

 grown ver>' extensively commercially, especially 

 for the Mid-West markets. The color is a verj- 

 deep scarlet, with a distinct white tip covering 

 about one-third of the lower diameter of the root. 

 Its maximum size, before becoming pithy, is about one 

 and one-quarter inches in diameter. Its shape is nearly 

 round, sUghtly flattened on the imder side. It is one 

 of the most attractive and desirable radishes in our 

 list, inasmuch as it holds longer before becoming pithy 

 than most of the other sorts maturing in the 

 same class. ^ 



Pkt. 5i, oz. lOfi, H lb. ^H, lb. $1.25, 5 lbs. 

 $6.00, postpaid; by express, 5 lbs. or more, $1.10 

 p>er lb. 



WHITE BOX (Natural Size) 



GIANT CRIMSON (Natural Siie) 



68 



All varieties described on this page are good home garden varieties 



