The Penn's Grove record., 1884-03-29

As the relaxing temperature of tardy
spring approaches, nothing is o tom
ing to the system or grateful to the pal
ate than horseradIsh, Much Of this IS
raised and prepared in Hartford, Conn.,,
acres being devoted to its production
and a winters work to its preparation.
However much truth there may be in
the charges of the adulteration of the
horseradi5h prepared otherwheres, it is
quite certain that our home product is
pure. 1t would be as costly to adulter-
ate with turnip as to use the horserad-
ish root itself. Probably much of this
adverse opinion of the prepared root
comes from the fact that unless care
fully and Theoretically sealed the acrid
oil that gives it its pungency is dlssi-
pated. Drying the root destroys its
qualities, and when ground, Or rasped,
it must be preserved from the air to be
of value as a condiment. The botani-
cal name Of the h~orseradish is Armora-
ci9 Radia and it is a native of Western
Europe. Its acrid oil that gives it the
pungent flavor which is SO grateful to
the relaxed taste Is identical, or nearly
SO, with that of mustard. The root is
a harmless stimulalt, exciting the stom-
ach and promoting the secretions. 1t
is used incidentally In dyspepsia, chronic
rheumatism, palsy and a syrup prepared
from the root is used for h~oarseness.
One single concern engaged in the
cultivation and preparation of horse
radish for a table condiment in Hart
ford cultivates from four to six acres
yearly, employing III the planting, cult
waiting and harvesting seasons a num-
Der of workers. the crop is planted in
ploughed drills IN well-manured land,
the ''soed" being slips of roots not
more than a pipe stem in diameter and
three or four inches long. These are
preserved from the previous years.
growth in sand, and they are planted by
means of a ''dibble," a pointed stick,
the top being buried just below the sur
face. The cultivation is similar to that
of any field crop, blowing and hoeing
between the rows. In harvesting, the
roots are loosened by the pillow and
gathered from the soil by the pronged
potato-digger.
In their preparation the roots are
handled one by one, the s'prong" roots,
those fit for r%eplanting are removed,
the tendril roots are thrown away, and
every root fit for grinding is carefully
scraped. Every particle of gray SKIN
or other imperfectlon must be removed,
as the slightest faint of color Injuries
the marketable value of the prepared
root, which should be as pure white as
possible when mixed with vinegar. The
scraped roots are then placed in a rec
tangular box suspended on pivots at
opposite corners, and 'tumbled" by ro-
tary moment until they are washed in
clear water to a perfect purity.
Thence the roots are fed into a hopper
in which is a weighted plunger that
presses the contained roots on the sur
face Of a corrugated metallic cylinder
like an immense CRATER, revolving at
the rate of 5000 turns per minute.
The grated pulp falls into a tub or tank,
from which the bottles are filed, and
they then receive pure cider vinegar. as
much as they can hold.
The filled bottles are corked, sealed
with melted sealing wax, the corks
capped with a tinfoil covering, locked
by pressure in the neck of the bottle,
and labeled. Then they are ready for
the market and the table.
1t may not be apropos to this article,
but it is to the subject, to state, in re-
lation to the horseradish, that its pre-
sentative or antiseptic qualities, in one
direction, should be generally known.
Housewives have repeated annoyances
from the decomposition of the vinegar
in their pickles, and frequently the vim.
egar or those who sell it are blamed.
Horseradish will arrest this semi-de-
composition and preserve eucumbers,
peppers, cabbage, and other pickles be-
yond a chance of softening, moulding
or decay. Only place a piece of horss'
radish root as large as the finger, split
in two or four pieces, in a gallon jar of
pickles, and there will be no decay; nor
will the horseradish give any strange or
unpleasantly piquant taste to the pick
les.