3IO BOTANY OP CROP PLANTS 



COMMON GARDEN BEET 



The botanical characters of the garden beet are very similar 

 to those of sugar beet. As is well known, however, they are 

 not so rich in sugar and differ from them in color, shape, and 

 edible quahties. 



Types. — As to color, there are two main groups of garden 

 beets: (i) Flesh red (Early Blood Turnip, Eclipse, Egyptian, 

 Detroit, Dark Red); and, (2) Flesh yellow (Early Yellow 



Fig. 125. — Percentage of the world's supply of beet sugar (raw) produced in 

 the different countries, campaign of 1913-14. 



Turnip, Golden Globe) . Goff divides garden beets into four 

 types as to shape : 



1. Root oblate or top-shaped (Early Blood Turnip, 

 Eclipse, Egyptian, etc.). 



2. Root half long (Victoria). 



3 . Root oval (Strasbourg Pear-shaped, Dell's Black-leafed) . 



4. Root long-conical (Long Blood, Long Yellow). 



Uses. — Garden beets are mostly for table use. The flavor 

 of early varieties is more deHcate than that in later maturing 

 ones. The roots are boiled, pickled, or mixed in salads. 

 Considerable quantitites are canned, and in some cases the 

 common garden sorts are used for stock food. 



