BEE 



159 



BEE 



chaff, or refuse grain, are an excellent food for pigs, or bul- 

 locks put up to fatten. 



The second species, the Vulgaris, or beet-root, has been 

 long cultivated in gardens ; especially that variety called 

 the red beet, which, when boiled and sliced, makes such an 

 excellent addition to winter salad. It is a native of the 

 south of Europe, and hence alt the varieties are tender, and 

 estroyed by frost when in their young state. It thrives 

 st in a rich, light, dry soil, and, from the length of its tap- 

 root, requires a considerable depth. The white beet is an 

 llent root, and is preferred by many to the larger and 

 more common intermediate varieties. It has been lately in 

 great repute in France and Belgium for the manufacture o 

 sugar. It is not commonly cultivated in our gardens, and 

 we only notice it as being, with the red beet, the paren 

 of those varieties which have been introduced into field 

 culture. 



The common field-beet for cattle, which has been long 

 known in Germany, was introduced into England at the 

 latter end of the last century ; and its introduction is gene- 

 rally attributed to the late Dr. Lettsom, a physician of great 

 reputation, and one of the Society of Friends. The German 

 name is mangold tcurzel, or mangold root, but it is com- 

 monly pronounced mangel wurzel, which means scarcity 

 root; and by a strange translation it is called in French 

 ratine d abundance, or root of plenty, as well as racing Je 

 disette, or root of scarcity. The name of field-beet is much 

 more appropriate. 



The improved variety of this beet, which grows to a very 

 large size in good soil, has a red skin, and when cut through 

 appears veined with red, in concentric circles. The prin- 

 cipal part of the root rises often a foot and more above the 

 ground, and the leaves, which are large and succulent, 

 spring from the crown of the root. There is a limit, how- 

 ever, beyond which the root dues not improve in quality 

 as it increases, and the roots of a moderate size contain 

 more saccharine and nutritive matter in the same bulk 

 than the larger. This is particularly the case with those 

 varieties from which sugar is extracted. The soil best 

 adapted for the beet-root is a deep sandy loam, naturally 

 rich, or made so by repeated manuring. The manure 

 should be well incorporated with the soil, and if any is 

 added for this crop, it should be well rotted and ploughed 

 in deep. The application of liquid manure during the 

 growth of the plant greatly increases the roots ; but it is 

 also said to make them more watery, and for the sugar beet 

 it is not recommended. The seed, which should be chosen 

 from the most perfect plants, is sown in May : if sown 

 sooner, there is some danger from the frosty nights which 

 often occur about the beginning of that month ; or if the 

 spring is warm and genial, it gets too forward, and instead 

 of increasing in the root, it shoots up a seed-stalk, and the 

 root becomes comparatively useless. >. If it is sown later 

 than May, it never arrives at a full size before the approach 

 of winter : hence the first or second week in May is the best 

 time in our climate. It is found by experience that those 

 plants of beet which grow from seed sown where they are 

 to remain have larger roots, in general, than those which are 

 transplanted ; the seed is therefore usually drilled, or dib- 

 bled, in rows from twenty-four to thirty inches distant ; the 

 seeds are put in about an inch deep, and when they are 

 dibbled, the holes are about four inches asunder, and two 

 or three seeds are put in a hole. After they come up and 

 are out of danger of frost or insects, they are thinned out, 

 so as to leave the plants a foot asunder. Where the plants 

 have failed, the intervals are filled up by transplanting 

 some of those which are superfluous in other parts : in 

 doing this it is essential that the fibres of the roots be 

 not torn off in pulling up the plant ; and if they are taken 

 up carefully with some of the mould adhering to the roots, 

 it will well repay the additional trouble. If the ground is 

 well prepared, there is little fear of the plants not coming 

 up, or of their being destroyed by the lly, as is too often the 

 case with turnips. A sprinkling of liquid manure along 

 the rows, about the time that the plants first appear above 

 ground, will in general secure an abundance of them ; and 

 this may be done with much less trouble than would be 

 iii<;.l, by those who have never practised it. It requires 

 only a water-cart, with a large cask and two leathern hose, 

 kept at a proper distance from each other by a stick between 

 them, so that they may pour the liquid manure over two 

 rows at once. If the field be not above a mile from the 

 tank, a man and horse will water two acres in a day, 



and if the distance is half a mile, four acres ; the expense 

 will be amply repaid in the crop.* 



On a very large scale this may not be so practicable ; but 

 wherever a field 'of beet is near the home-stall, it should 

 never be omitted ; the evident advantage of it will soon re- 

 move any objection arising from trouble or expense. When 

 the plants are three inches above ground, they may be 

 thinned out a foot apart in the rows ; the intervals be- 

 tween the rows may be stirred with the plough, grubber, 

 or horse-hoe, and the intervals from plant to plant in the 

 row with the hand-hoe. The ground cannot be kept too 

 fine and open, provided the soil be not extremely porous, 

 and the weather very dry ; in that case it must not be stirred 

 so much, for fear of the moisture evaporating too much. 

 It is a common practice to throw the earth from the rows 

 against the roots ; but the most experienced cultivators do 

 not approve of the method : on the contrary, they recom- 

 mend drawing the earth from the plants, or at least laying 

 the whole ground level. Where the soil is naturally rich 

 and deep, the drills may be made on the level ground : but 

 if the soil is shallow, or the subsoil of a barren nature, it is 

 best to raise small ridges, as is done for turnips on the North- 

 umberland plan, and bury the dung under them, by 

 which means the roots have more room to strike downwards. 

 As soon as the outer leaves begin to droop, they may be 

 gathered and given to cattle, but. a tuft should be left in the 

 centre to carry on the vegetation, or else the roots will 

 not increase. This practice of gathering the leaves is 

 strongly recommended by some, and thfey assert that the 

 root does not suffer in the least, although the leaves arc 

 reproduced ; but here we would give this caution, founded 

 on experience and observation. The drooping leaves, if not 

 gathered, will decay and fall off; they have performed their 

 oflice, and therefore to gather them before they wither is a 

 real economy : but to strip off fresh and growing leaves, 

 must injure the plant, and the juices required to replace- 

 ;hem are so much taken from the growth of the roots. 

 When fodder is very scarce this may be a sacrifice worth 

 making, but if the object is to reserve the roots for winter 

 Food, the leaves should remain on the plant as long as they 

 !ook fresh and growing, until near the time of taking up 

 :he whole crop : the top may then be cut off an inch above 

 the crown of the root, and will be excellent food for the 

 cows and pigs. 



The roots are generally taken up and stored for winter, 

 some time before there is any danger of considerable frost ; 

 he top having been removed, and the tap root cut off, the 

 mould which may adhere to the fibres is scraped off with 

 he back of the knife. The roots are then either stacked 

 n a barn or root-house, with alternate layers of straw, and 

 he sides and top protected from the frost by straw placed 

 all round, in which way they will keep well and fresh till 

 pring : or they are placed in trenches two feet deep and six 

 eet wide, with a layer of straw at the bottom and against 

 he sides ; they are heaped up in these trenches to the 

 leight of three feet above the ground, forming a ridge at 

 op, and then covered all over with straw, over which the 

 larth taken out of the trench is spread, and made smooth, 

 loping like the roof of a house. A small trench is dug 

 all round this heap, with a proper outlet to prevent any 

 water from soaking in; the heaps are made of any length, 

 according to the quantity of roots to be stored, and the 

 wo ends are secured with straw, and covered with earth 

 ike the sides. When it is required to take out the 

 oots for use, an opening is made at the end, a sufficient 

 [uantity is taken out, and the end is secured again with 

 traw and earth as before. When the roots have been 

 mt in dry, and some time has been allowed for a slight 

 fermentation, and the steam produced has been allowed 

 o escape before the heap was finally covered in, they 

 vill come out quite fresh and juicy till late in spring ; 

 mt if the proper precautions are neglected, they will often 

 ot or become inusty, and then the cattle will not readily 

 eat them. There are few crops so valuable for winter food 

 or cattle as the beet; Swedish turnips, or rutabaga, exceed 

 hem in the quantity of nourishment, weight for weight, 

 mt on good light soils the produce of the beet per acre is 

 much greater. On old pasture ground trenched up enormous 

 crops of mangel wurzel have been raised. When the 



* ll'lhe water-cart contains 100 gallons, it will water onc-thml of an acre 

 i rows at three feet distance ; the burse will go over one mile anil half in an 

 inlinaiily shaped nelil to water an .-.ere, to which must be willed t;ce the 

 h-t , ni-.- "fiom the Unk, taken three times. This make* in all 11+6, or /{ 

 "-liles for each acre, wlieit ilio distance is one mile. 



