View source for Horse Radish

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Horse Radish (Fig. 1848), the well-known condiment used so much with roast beef and oysters, is a member of the natural family Crucifera;, to which belong cabbage, turnip, wallflower, stock, charlock, mustard, and many other vegetables, flowers and weeds. It comes to us from Great Britain, where it is thought to have been naturalized from some more eastern European country. It is often found growing wild in moist locations, such as the margins of streams, in cool woods and damp meadows, and, in some places, notably in the state of New York, is troublesome as a weed.

The root is perennial, fleshy, whitish externally, pure white within, conical at the top, cylindrical, and, unlike the tap-roots of parsnips, is abruptly branched below. When bruised, it emits a volatile oil of strong, pungent odor and hot, biting taste. If eaten before this oil evaporates, it "is highly stimulant, exciting the stomach when swallowed, and promoting the secretions, especially that of urine. Externally, it is rubefacient. Its chief use is as a condiment to promote appetite and invigorate digestion; but it is also occasionally employed in medicine." (U. S. Dispensatory.) As a table relish, the consumption of horseradish is increasing, and greater attention is being paid to its cultivation than formerly. Under the old methods profitable returns were often secured, but under the new, profits are generally highly satisfactory where enemies are not very troublesome. The season of fresh-grated horse-radish runs almost parallel to that of oysters, with which the root is most frequently eaten in this country. Ungrated roots are, however, kept in .cold storage for summer use, since roots dug at that season have an unpleasant taste.

Horse-radish will do well upon almost any soil except the lightest sand and the heaviest clay, but a deep loam of medium texture and moderate richness, well supplied with humus and moisture, will produce roots of the best quality and the largest size. In dry soils the roots will be small, woody and deficient in pungency; in wet soils, small, succulent, strong-tasting. Drainage is essential, and so is a fairly open subsoil. Hard subsoil induces excessive branching of the root. Applications of nitrogenous manures should be rather light, commercial fertilizers rich in potash being given the preference. Rolfs recommends a mixture containing 10 per cent potash, 7 per cent phosphoric acid, 4 per cent nitrogen, 600 pounds drilled in to the acre. A heavier application broadcast and deeply plowed under, it is thought, would give better results, since the shaft of the root is less likely to become unduly branched when the food is below instead of above and around it. especially when the sets are placed horizontally. A weeder should be used after the harrow periodically until the plants are an inch or so tall. Thorough preparation of the soil is essential.

Since horse-radish rarely produces seeds, cuttings are made from the roots not less than ¼ inch thick and 4 to 5 inches long (Fig. 1849). To facilitate planting the large end up, the upper end is cut off square and the lower oblique. If set small end up, no growth may result. In horizontal planting this special cutting is unnecessary. Root-crowns are sometimes used, but since these develop a large number of roots too small for profitable grating, they are employed only for increasing stock.

The land having been prepared, shallow furrows are laid off 30 inches apart and 2 to 5 inches deep, according to the method of planting. Sets are planted horizontally, vertically, and at all intervening angles, the large ends being made to point in one direction to facilitate cultivation and digging. The angle is a matter of choice, good returns being secured in each. The usual distance between sets is about 12 inches. Cultivation is given after every rain, or once in ten days, until the leaves shade the ground.

Double-cropping is common in horse-radish growing, early cabbage, turnip beets and other quick-maturing plants being used. The sets are dibbled in two to four weeks after the first crop, vertically, 18 inches asunder, between the rows of cabbage, which are not less than 2 feet apart. One management answers for both crops until the first is removed, when, after one cultivation, the horse-radish usually takes full possession. Deep burying of the sets at the time the first crop is planted is also practised, the object, as in the first case, being to prevent the appearance of the former until the latter is almost mature.

Horse-radish makes its best growth in the cool' autumn, steadily improves after September, arid, not being injured by frost .if undug, is usually left until late before harvesting with plow or spade. Storage in pits is best, since the roots lose less of then" crispness, pungency and good appearance than if stored in cellars. In trimming for storage, the lateral roots are saved and buried for next season's planting. Exposure to air, sun and frost robs the roots of their good qualities and injures their vitality.

The insect enemies of this plant are those that attack other members of the cabbage family, the harlequin bug being the most dreaded. Remedies are the same as for other pests of this group of plants. Only two diseases have been reported, and these are seldom troublesome.

In the neighborhood of cities, especially where oysters are cheap, this crop is generally profitable, the usual retail price being 10 cents a pint, freshly grated, but without vinegar. This quantity weighs a scant half- pound. The cost of growing an acre is about as follows:

Cuttings. 10,000, at $2.................. $2000

Fertilizer, 1,000 pounds ..................1750

Cultivation, six times .....................600

Rent of land ...............................500

Plowing, wear of tools, and so on ..........350

Setting roots, at 30 cents a 1,000 .........300

Total ....................................$5500

A marketable crop varies from 3,000 to 6,000 pounds, which may sometimes be sold as high as 5 cents a pound for first-class roots, and 2 ½ cents for second grade. Usually, however, prices seldom rise above 4 cents and 2 cents for the two grades. Under good cultivation, the proportion of-No. 1 to No. 2 root is about 1 to 1 by weight. Lower prices may rule in well-supplied markets, and higher in poorly furnished, and when sold in small lots to retail graters, even 7 cents may be obtained. See Radicula. M. Q. Kains.
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==Cultivation==
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===Propagation===
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===Pests and diseases===
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==Species==
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==Gallery==
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==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
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