The Field and Garden Vegetables of America | Page 4

fourteen inches apart, and about an inch and a half in depth. Sow the
seeds thickly enough to secure a plant for every two or three inches,
and cover to the depth of the drills. Should the weather be warm and
wet, the young plants will appear in seven or eight days. When they are
two inches in height, they should be thinned to five or six inches apart;
extracting the weaker, and filling vacant spaces by transplanting. The
surplus plants will be found an excellent substitute for spinach, if
cooked and served in like manner. The afterculture consists simply in
keeping the plants free from weeds, and the earth in the spaces between
the rows loose and open by frequent hoeings.
Mr. Thompson states that "the drills for the smaller varieties should be
about sixteen inches apart, and the plants should be thinned out to nine
inches apart in the rows. The large sorts may have eighteen inches
between the rows, but still not more than nine inches from plant to
plant in the row. When large-sized roots are desired, the rows may be
eighteen inches or two feet apart, and the plants twelve or fifteen inches
distant from each other in the rows. But large roots are not the best for
the table; and it is better to have two medium-sized roots, grown at nine
inches apart, than one of perhaps double the size from twice the space.
As a square foot of ground should afford plenty of nourishment to
produce a root large enough for the table, the area for each plant may,
therefore, be limited to that extent. If the rows are sixteen inches apart,
and the plants thinned to nine inches in the row, each plant will have a
space equal to a square foot. Such, of course, would also be the case if
the rows were twelve inches apart, and the plants the same distance
from each other in the row. But it is preferable to allow a greater space
between the rows than between the plants in the row: for, by this
arrangement, the leaves have better scope to grow to each side, and the
plants so situated grow better than those which have an equal but rather
limited space in all directions; whilst the ground can also be more
easily stirred, and kept clean."

Taking the Crop.--Roots, from the first sowings, will be ready for use
early in July; from which time, until October, the table may be supplied
directly from the garden. They should be drawn as fast as they attain a
size fit for use; which will allow more time and space for the
development of those remaining.
For winter use, the roots must be taken up before the occurrence of
heavy frosts, as severe cold not only greatly impairs their quality, but
causes them to decay at the crown. Remove the leaves, being careful
not to cut or bruise the crown; spread the roots in the sun a few hours to
dry; pack them in sand or earth slightly moist; and place in the cellar,
out of reach of frost, for the winter.
"The London market-gardeners winter their beets in large sheds, stored
in moderately damp mould, and banked up with straw. Mr. Cuthill
states that it is a mistake to pack them in dry sand or earth for the
winter; and that the same may be said of parsnips, carrots, salsify,
scorzonera, and similar roots.
"The object here is, that the moist soil may not draw the natural sap out
of the roots so readily as dry sand would do; and hence they retain their
fresh, plump appearance, and their tenderness and color are better
preserved. In taking up the roots, the greatest care must be exercised
that they are neither cut, broken, wounded on the skin, nor any of the
fibres removed; and, when the small-leaved varieties are grown, few, if
any, of the leaves should be cut off."--M'Int.
If harvested before receiving injury from cold, and properly packed,
they will retain, in a good degree, their freshness and sweetness until
the new crop is suitable for use.
Seed.--To raise seed, select smooth and well-developed roots having
the form, size, and color by which the pure variety is distinguished; and,
in April, transplant them eighteen inches or two feet apart, sinking the
crowns to a level with the surface of the ground. As the stalks increase
in height, tie them to stakes for support. The plants will blossom in
June and July, and the seeds will ripen in August.

In harvesting, cut off the plants near the ground, and spread them in a
light and airy situation till they are sufficiently dried for threshing, or
stripping off the seeds; after which the seeds should be exposed, to
evaporate any