194 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



Fig. 76. Swiss chard. 



beet, except that in its case cultivation and selection 



have developed the leaves in- 

 stead of the root. The botani- 

 cal characteristics, especially of 

 the fruit seed and flowers, are 

 precisely alike in both plants. 

 The root is branched and not 

 very fleshy; and the leaves are 

 large and numerous, with the 

 stalk and midrib fleshy and 

 very large. The plants vary in 

 color from deep red to nearly 

 white. The fleshy leaf stalks are 

 cooked and served like asparagus. 

 Culture. The plants are 

 grown in the same manner as 



the common table beets. Among the best varieties is 



one known as the Silvery Swiss chard. 



SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea) 



Description. Properly a native of western Asia. 

 An annual plant cultivated for its leaves, which form 

 popular spring and early summer greens. It has a seed stalk 

 about two feet high. The varieties are divided accord- 

 ing to their seeds into round and prickly-seeded sorts. 

 The latter have sharp, hard prickles on the seeds. This 

 division is so pronounced that some botanists have treated 

 these classes as distinct species. The prickly-seeded 

 sorts are regarded as hardier, while some of the round 

 seeded kinds are perhaps the most desirable varieties 

 for table use; but this difference is not always very clear. 



Culture. The seed of spinach may be sown in hotbeds 

 or cold frames very early in spring, or outdoors as soon as 



