BEETS 191 



power that it will probably pay one to use where a large 

 amount of land is to be cultivated in beets. About six 

 pounds of seed are required per acre, and it is always a 

 good plan to sow an abundance of seed, as it does not 

 start very uniformly. Beets yield from three to four 

 hundred bushel per acre, often bringing a gross income of 

 $150 to $500 per acre. 



Forcing Beets. Beets are easily forced by sowing 

 the early-maturing kinds in February or March in hotbeds, 

 where they may be left to mature or may be transplanted 

 when of proper size. It is, however, best to allow them 

 to grow to table size without transplanting, which always 

 puts the plants back and from which they recover slowly. 



Harvesting and Keeping Beets. On the approach 

 of severe weather in Northern sections about the middle 

 of October beets should be pulled and the tops cut or 

 twisted off, but the top of the root should not be cut 

 off. Light frosts do not hurt them much, especially 

 when they are protected by a heavy growth of foliage, 

 but when the surface of the ground freezes hard there 

 is danger of permanent injury to the roots. Beets 

 are easily kept in a cold cellar. It is generally best to 

 pit them outside when dug and allow them to remain there 

 until severe weather sets in. If the air of the cellar is 

 very dry the. beets should be covered with earth after being 

 put into bins, or they will wilt and become corky. Beet 

 seed is grown by planting out the roots about the middle 

 of May, two feet apart in rows three feet apart. The 

 seed ripens in the summer and is generally threshed off 

 as soon as ripe. 



Varieties. There are many varieties of garden beets, 

 and they vary considerably in size, form, and color, time 



