The cultivated radish, Raphanus sativus, con- 
centrates in itself the main interest of the genus. 
It is a native of China, and was introduced to 
Britain about the middle of the 16th century. 
Its root is annual and fusiform ; its stem is about 
3 feet high; its leaves are lyrate or sublyrate 
and rough; its flowers are whitish or tinged with 
purple, and naturally bloom from May till June; 
and its pods are uneven, tapering to a point, 
generally two-celled, and about as long as their 
stalks. It comprises many varieties, and is used 
for several purposes. The roots of most of the 
varieties are eaten raw, and highly relished, by 
all classes of the community, and serve the dou- 
ble purpose of gratifying the palate and acting 
as an antiscorbutic; the unripe seed-pods are 
used in pickles; the young green tops are used 
as small salading; and the seeds of several varie- 
ties, particularly those of &. s. olifer, are some- 
what valuable for their oil. One classification 
of the varieties groups them into the small-rooted 
and the Spanish,—and distributes the former 
group into the round-rooted, the oblong turnip- 
rooted, and the oil-bearing,—and the latter group 
into the common, the black, the round, the grey, 
and the white; another groups them into the 
Spanish, the oblong, the turnip-rooted, and the 
long crooked,—and distributes the first of these 
groups into the black and the white,—the second 
into the red and the rose,—the third into the 
crimson, the early rose, the white, and the yel- 
low,—and the fourth into the purple, the early 
scarlet frame, the purple-top white, the salmon- 
coloured, the scarlet short top, the white Italian, 
and Wood’s early dwarf frame; another groups 
them into the fusiform-rooted spring varieties, 
the turnip - rooted spring varieties, and the 
autumn and winter varieties,—and distributes 
the first of these groups into the long white 
or white Italian, the white Russian, the twisted, 
the purple or short-topped, and the red-necked 
white, — the second into the white, the early 
white, the pink or crimson, the purple, and 
the yellow,—and the third into the late yel- 
low, the round brown, the oblong brown, the 
white Spanish, the black Spanish, and the purple 
Spanish or large purple winter; and some other 
classifications, not only make different groupings 
from these, but include some other varieties or 
subvarieties, and give some of the same varieties 
other names. In a general view, the fusiform- 
rooted kinds are the best for main and early 
crops, the turnip-rooted kinds for secondary 
crops and change, and the Spanish kinds, and a 
| new sort called the Breadalbane, for autumn and 
winter use. 
The soil most suitable for the radish is a friable 
or porous and moderately fertile loam ; and it 
should be dug toa good depth, and very finely 
pulverized. The situation, for early crops, must 
be warm and sheltered, yet, for both early and 
late ones, should be fully open to air and sun- 
shine. Manure ought not to be applied in im- 
—_ 
RADISH. 
mediate preparation for the crop; or, if indis- 
pensable, must be in a finely divided state, and 
thoroughly intermixed with the soil. The seed 
may be sown in hotbeds for use in December, 
January, and February, and in the open ground | 
for use at other seasons; and it may be sown 
monthly in winter, and fortnightly throughout 
spring and summer, and that of the Spanish 
kinds in July and August. The sowings in the 
open ground may be either broadcast on beds of 
4 or 5 feet wide, or in drills of 3 inches asunder 
for the fusiform-rooted kinds, of 4 or 5 inches 
asunder for the turnip-rooted kinds, and of 6 or 
8 inches asunder for the Spanish kinds; and 
they must, in every case, be thin and to the 
depth of about half an inch. The seedlings when 
so far up as to have each 5 or 6 leaves must be 
thinned,—the fusiform-rooted to distances of 3 
inches, the turnip-rooted to 4, and the Spanish 
to 6. In moist hot weather, the spaces must be 
greater than these; and in dry weather, a 
watering ought to be given every night. Sow- 
ings and germinating crops which have to con- 
tend with frost, whether in the latter part of 
the year or in the early part, must be constantly 
protected by some sufficient covering; and rising 
crops, in the same predicament, must be simi- 
larly protected throughout the night and during 
every severe day, but fully exposed in mild or 
open weather. When roots come to be ready for 
use, the bed should be copiously watered 24 
hours or so before they are drawn, and not 
watered again till after they are drawn; and 
they should be drawn early in the morning, and 
laid in a cool damp place till the hour when they 
are wanted for use. In November, the kinds 
which have been grown for winter use must be 
taken up during dry weather, and stored among 
sand for preservation; and the best of these 
kinds, if grown at sufficient widths, and if taken 
up and stored in this way, will retain their good 
quality till spring. 
The seed of the hotbed crops must be sown on 
a layer of mould about 8 inches deep, and covered 
to the depth of half an inch with a sifting of 
mould. The proper time of sowing is the junc- 
ture immediately after the abatement of the 
violent heat of the hotbed. The plants will 
appear above the surface in less than eight days, 
and will be ready for use in the course of six 
weeks. Air must be given as long and freely 
as possible; but the glasses must always be closed 
toward evening, and a covering of mats or some 
other substance must, at all needful times, be 
given proportionately to the severity of the 
weather. The requisite temperature is from 50° 
to 70°; the distances of the plants from one 
another must not be less than two inches; and, 
at any time when the mould appears dry, a light 
watering must be given about noon. Crops raised 
in spring in a cold frame, with due protection, are 
two or three weeks earlier than contemporaneous 
and duly protected crops in the open ground. 
——s 
