98 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



rather than cut off with a knife, as the roots keep better when 

 so topped. Twenty to thirty tons of roots per acre is a com- 

 mon crop. 



Sugar Beets. — Sugar Beets are improved mangels and 

 require almost exactly the same treatment. The sugar beet 

 contains more sugar than the mangel and in some states is 

 extensively raised for the manufacture of sugar. About twice 

 as much seed is required per acre and the plants should be 

 about twice as close in the row. For sugar production roots 

 weighing about a pound are desired. Small sized roots are 

 richer in sugar than the large sized ones. When grown to 

 feed, large roots are desirable, for they require less labor to 

 harvest. Fifteen to twenty tons per acre are raised under 

 ordinary conditions. 



Parsnips. — Parsnips are raised mainly for table use in 

 America, but they also furnish an excellent food for milch 

 cows. In the Island of Jersey, where Jersey cattle came 

 from, they are extensively raised for that purpose. The pars- 

 nip is very deep-rooted and requires deep soil for good re- 

 sults. The seed is sown in spring in rows eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches apart, using about four pounds of seed per acre. 

 The plants should be cultivated and thinned like carrots. 

 Parsnips are not injured by freezing and only such as are 

 needed for winter use need be gathered. They yield ten to 

 fifteen tons per acre. 



Turnips. — There are two classes of turnips, the English 

 and the Swedish. The English turnip is the kind usually 

 grown in gardens and truck patches for table use, and the seed 

 is usually sown in summer after some early crop, like sweet 

 corn, potatoes or peas, has been harvested. It is nearly always 

 sown broadcast without much attention being given to the 



