v.] 



RADISH. 



129 



fore, you must line the bed in the same manner as is directed for 

 cucumbers. As to covering, in sharpish weather, a single mat 

 over the glass will do. It seldom happens that more than a double 

 mat could be required for a radish-bed ; but, if the bed become 

 cool, there must be covering sufficient to keep out the frost ; this 

 is to remain on, however, for as short a time as possible ; and, 

 even during a hard frost, if the sun come out, the lights should 

 be taken off during the time that the sun is within two hours of its 

 highest pitch ; for, in this country, it never, I believe, freezes in the 

 sun, and to keep away frost is all that you require in the way of 

 covering. Two square feet, or tour at most, in one corner of the 

 frame, will give you mustard and cress a plenty for salads, if you 

 take care to make repeated sowings in proper time. In this bed early 

 potatoes may be planted in the manner directed for the potato- 

 bed mentioned under the head of the potato. A few young onions 

 may be raised here also to be eaten green ; and also some lettuce- 

 plants, to be removed about the time that the radishes are all 

 drawn. In just the same way, and with a bed of about the same 

 strength, earli/ carrots may be raised. Some people like them, 

 and the trouble is a great deal less than any one would imagine^ 

 seeing that it requires so many words to explain the method of 

 doing the thing. Now, as to the sorts of radishes for the hot-bed, 

 there are two, the early scarlet, and the early short-top : the co- 

 lour of the former is indicated by its name, that of the latter is 

 between a red and a purple. Some tastes prefer one sort, and 

 some the other. I know no difference in the flavour : the scarlet is 

 the most pleasing to the eye, and is therefore the sort that market 

 gardeners cultivate ; but the short-top is the earliest ; that is to say, 

 the quickest in coming to perfection ; or, at least, I think so ; for I 

 never actually tried one against the other ; and they certainly eat 

 more crisp than the scarlet. The finest radish of all for the 

 flavour, as well as for crispness, is called the salmon-radish, from 

 its colour being precisely that of salmon when in season ; but it 

 does not come so quickly as the other two sorts. If you have the 

 early radishes in beds, the salmon-radish ought to be the first to 

 sow in the open ground. With regard to the turnip-rcoted sorts, 

 they are all greatly inferior, in point of flavour, to the tap-rooted ; 

 and, as to the black Spanish radish, it is a coarse thing that will 

 stand the winter about as well as a turnip ; and is very little supe- 

 rior to a turnip in point of flavour. It is called a radish, and may 



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