EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



447 



TABLE BEETS. 



Crosby's Egyptian. — An early variety, fit for table use by the middle of July, 

 Round globular shape, with slightly tapering tap root. Dark red, with alternate 

 layers of red and white flesh and dark green leaves. 



Extra Early Egyptian Blood Turnip. — Flat turnip shaped. Skin dark blood 

 colored and flesh with alternating layers of crimson and dark blood. Flesh some- 

 what coarse. Quality fair. 



Lo7ig Dark Blood. — Skin and flesh very dark colored. Long tapering root of 

 large size and inclined to grow cow horn fashion. A late variety of good quality. 



Chicago Market. — Medium to large size, and round with small, abruptly taper- 

 ing tap root. Skin dark blood colored. Flesh with dark red, crimson and white 

 blending in alternate layers. Fine grained, of good quality and medium early, 

 being ready for table use about the middle of August and probably earlier during 

 a more favorable season. Both leaves and leaf stalks are very dark colored and 

 strikingly handsome. Nearly one-half of these beets were harvested in August, 

 hence before full grown, and this accounts somewhat for the lower yield shown 

 in the table above. 



GARDEN VARIETIES. 

 PEAS. 



The trouble encountered with field peas is absent in the early varieties of the 

 garden sorts and reduced to a minimum in the late maturing varieties, the vines 

 making no such rank growth. There should be no trouble therefore, to ripen 

 these varieties, even during wet seasons, should the attempt be made, though 

 all varieties being very prolific, it would probably be advisable to "brush" late 

 varieties, since the length of their vines still reaches or exceeds 6 feet, "and 

 since the numerous heavy pods would otherwise crush the vines down. Though 

 all these varieties are intended to be harvested before reaching maturity, "brush- 

 ing" is nevertheless recommended for the late sorts, as picking will be rendered 

 much easier thereby. For quality, the late varieties take the lead, and among 

 those tested, none surpasses Teddy Roosevelt, a relatively new variety resembling 

 Telephone, with the vines somewhat shorter, and hence standing up better under 

 the weight of the very large pods. The peas are very large, tender and sweet, 

 with a spicy and most excellent flavor. 



Melting Sugar. — An edible pod variety, with the longest vines, is the most 

 proliflc, as many as 50 pods being found on single vines. The pods are prac- 

 tically stringless and should be picked before the peas are more than half full 

 grown, as they become "leathery" soon afterwards, but still remain edible if 

 cooked from one-half to an hour longer. 



The following table gives the names of the varieties tested and their descrip- 

 tion: 



