6o8 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



avoiding this, but it is a wasteful 

 way; the better plan is always to 

 sow thinly. One seed every few 

 inches will give a much finer crop 

 and better results altogether than 

 close sowing. Many doubtless 

 wonder why their Radishes do not 

 all bulb, but allov/ing them to grow 

 too close together is, as a rule, the 

 cause of this. Many are most 

 particular, too, in getting their seeds 

 in and the crop brought to maturity, 

 but after the usable part of it has 

 been gathered neglect follows, and 

 where Radishes have been raised in 

 a Potato or Carrot frame it is no 

 uncommon thing to see worthless 

 Radish tops overshadowing every- 

 thing by the time the other crops 

 should have been at their best. 

 Cultivators should always be parti- 

 cular in clearing away all Radishes 

 as soon as they become too old for 

 use, and any which do not bulb early 

 may be thrown away altogether. 



Special Beds. — In making up a 

 special bed for early Radishes, a very 

 shallow bed of fermenting material 

 is sufficient ; about i ft. in depth is 

 enough, and 6 in. of soil should be 

 put on the top of this. They bulb 

 fastest early in the year in a mode- 

 rately rich sandy mixture. The seed 

 should be sown broadcast, very 

 thin, and it should not be covered 

 more than | in. deep. The earliest 

 seed may be sown in frames in 

 January and February, but in the 

 latter month and throughout March 

 seed may also be sown along the 

 base of a south wall or in any 

 sheltered sunny spot. Here the rule 

 as to thin sowing should also be ob- 

 served ; in fact, this must be kept in 

 mind throughout. When the little 

 plants appear at first in the colder 

 months of spring a slight protection 

 will favour their free growth. A few 

 branches or some similar covering is 

 all that is needed. 



Summer Radishes. — From April 

 onwards throughout the summer 

 select spots need not be chosen for 

 Radishes, as they will do almost 

 anywhere, their only requirements 

 being a firm, rich, cool soil. With- 

 out this, especially in summer, the 

 roots will become hot and stringy 

 before they are well developed, and 

 the period of their use will be very 

 short. In general culture some may 

 prefer having the seed in rows; 

 others may sow broadcast, and good 

 Radishes may be had in both ways. 

 At no time should the seed be 

 put more than J in. below the 

 surface ; the soil should always be 

 trodden firmly over it, as this in- 

 duces the plants to bulb quicker 

 and better than when in loose 

 material. 



Winter Radishes.— Our rule is to 

 sow a small quantity of seed every 

 three weeks from the middle of 

 January until the beginning of 

 September, when we stop all sow- 

 ings and dealings with the summer 

 varieties, and devote one good large 

 piece of ground to the Chinese 

 Scarlet for winter. This sowing is 

 made on a south border which may 

 have been previously cleared of Pota- 

 toes or some other crop. The seed 

 is put in in rows 15 in. apart, in 

 order that plenty of air and light may 

 be admitted to them in winter, and 

 if the young plants come up too 

 close they are thinned out to 6 in. 

 apart. Under this treatment a 

 uniform crop of useful bulbs is the 

 result. We generally gather some 

 of these by the end of October, when 

 they are no larger than filberts. 

 To have Radishes in the best 

 possible condition, they must be 

 grown quickly ; and to do this in dry 

 soils, frequent waterings during dry 

 weather must be given them, other- 

 wise by the time the roots are of 

 a usable size they will generally 



