The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-06

About 1900 Acres of the Peppery Lit
tie Root Raised Around Norfolk.

The radish crop is just about all shipped.
1t has been a rather favorable year for the
crop. To most OF your readers the radish
crop may be in their minds something as
the peanut crop was few years ago-rather
Small and insignificant crop" By look
ing over some old reports l notice that in
the year 1870 this section around Norfolk
is credited with having shipped all of
10000 punches of radish, and all of $4,000
barrels of potatoes, and other truck crops
in proportion. .4e s-.4=sl--"N
This year it is estimated by one of our
largest radish growers that the acreage in
radish will reach 1,500 acres. The number
of growers is not far from 500. One Of the
largest growers has nearly SO acres of
radish, and uses nearly one ton Of radish
seed. At one time recently one of our
truckers was negotiating with scotsman
for certain kind of radish seed, when the
dealer remarked as an Endorsement of his
seed: Il sold a New Jersey trucker 40
pounds recently and our trucker fairly
paralyZed him with an order for 300 pounds
of radish seed.
The crop is planted or sown broadcast in
narrow beds from January to April. The
early sowings subjected to great danger
of lcss and sometimes the planter has to
resow his crop two fOr three times.
Warm, sunny hooks and corners are
chosen in which to SOW the crop, and a
protection is sought from the north, east
and west to keep off the cold winds from
said quarters of the compass. The beds of
all the early sowD radish about six to
eight feet in width and are turned up in
such manner that the north edge Of the
ridge is higher than the south edge, caus-
ing each ridge to slope little to the south.
On these beds the radtsh Is sown broadcast.
The round radish is the kind grown gen.
orally. Shipments have been going north
for the past 60 days or more. The hands
pull and tie the radishes in punches at the
low price of 10 cents per 100 punches.
Month hands take the radisb in the
punches and wash them carefully and pack
them in half barrel baskets as rule, and
ship to market. If the weather gets very
warm, a nice clean square or oblong block
of artificial ice is bedded in the middle of
each package, and the radish goes into the
Northern market clean, bright, fresh and
crisp.
A good hand will pull and tie as many as
1000 punches in day. Others will not
get more than 500 punches to their credit
making the wages average from 50 cents
to $1.2O per day. The half barrel baskets
cost 8 cents each. The freight to New
York is IA cents per basket. The yield
per acre will run from 100 to 200 baskets.
From 100 to 140 buncl.es I'LL the half barrel
package. It is estimated that the present
crop reached, or will reach when finished,
the grand total of e. 900 900 punches, which
is quite respectable increase over the
moderate little 10000 punches shipped in
1870. Our informant stated that this Sec
ton was the largest radish growing section
in the entire country. AS fast as the radish
crop is pulled and shipped the land is pre-
pared for tomatoes. melons or other later
crops. The land, as a rule, Is made to
"tote twice." so to speak, and often totes
thrice''-that is to say. is made to grow
three crops per year.-Norfolk Letter in
Country Gentleman.