The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-02-04
COMMERCIAL SEED GROWING.

A great deal of the radish seed sold
in the United States at the present
time is Of very low grade. We import
/ from Europe large quantities OF rad
ish seed that could be better grown
at home. The bulk of the radish seed
that we get are grown by the market
gardeners near the large cities. Time
was, when any one could grow nice,
crisp radishes, but when we under
stand the source Of our seed and the
methods by which 1t is grown we need
no longer wonder at the present diff
Guilty Of getting crisp radishes. Acres
upon acres are planted. All the mar
etable radishes are sold and the culls
that are left are allowed to 60 to seed
and this is our present supply.
Soil.
Radishes thrive in any good garden
soil that contains an abundance of
moisture. A rich huwus or loan soil
that have grown gs,0d crops of 2o-
tatoes, corn and such crops II all that
could be desired. The soil requires no
special preparation other than that
which is give the soil for any crop Of
vegetables.
Seed and Seeding.
The seed should be large and plump
and of the very best quality obtain
able. Plant thinly 10 drills 1S to %
inches apart. Seeding Is best done with
a garden seed drill set to SOW rather
thinner than for a market crop.
Cultivation and Thinning.
Cultivation should begin just as
soon as the row can be seen and con-
tinued until the plants begin to branch
to such an extent as to interfere with
cultivation. Just as soon as the gen.
eral shape and size of the root can
be determined, the plants should be
thinned to about to 6 inches apart
and just as soon as the first lot of
plants begin to send up the blossom
shoots these first plants should be
rogued out.
P0llination.
Radish blossoms are cross pollen
lied mainly by insects aud but one va
riety should be grown IN the same
field unless considerable distance
apart. A distance of alf q mile at
least between varieties should be had,
and even this distance may not al
ways guard against mixing. Cross
pollenization is best secured by plant
ing radish for reed In blocks.
Harvesting.
AS the radish blooms and continues
to get seed pods throughout the sum-
mer season the crop is usually not
ready for harvest until severe frost
has checked the bloom. The seed does
not shatter easily and harvesting may
! be delayed somewhat until all Of the
pods are mature. Hand pulling Of the
plants, cutting off the roots to prevent
dirt from getting into the seed is the
only method available for small grow
ers. Two or three days drying in the
sun will make the stems and pody
brittle enough to thresh out with
fail.
On a large scale, threshing can be
done with an ordinary grain separator
and the seed is easily cleared by win
moving in light breeze after which
it should be cured or dried and stored
away.
Selection.
Care should be exercised to leave
only the very best roots to 60 to seed.
Rogueing must be very strict. All
plants that 60 to seed prematurely
and all plants with bloom off color
should be removed. In this way, only,
can high seed be produced. The soil
and climate conditions of the Inland
Empire are admirably adopted to the
growing of high grade Of radish
seed and it should be the aim of all
growers to produce strains that will
produce the old time crisp radishes
of our fathers.-KoCtenai Valley,
/