190 KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Left in the ground, they will stand almost any degree of 

 freezing cold in winter. 



Red Beet (Beta vulgaris) a biennial plant, native of 

 the shores of the south of Europe. The boiled root is 

 eaten cold, in thin slices, either by itself or as a salad : it 

 is also often used as a pickle. The varieties are numerous, 

 but the most common are the Long-rooted, the Short or 

 Turnip-rooted, the Bassano, and the Gigantic dark beet. 

 There is a fine French variety called Castlenaudary, from 

 a town in Languedoc ; but as yet it is little known in this 

 country, 



The red beet prospers in a rich, deep soil, not recently 

 manured, and which has been well pulverized by the spade. 

 During April the seeds may be sown in drills, fifteen inches 

 asunder, and the plants are afterwards to be thinned to eight 

 inches from each other in the lines. In the northern parts 

 of the island, the roots are stored in winter, care being 

 taken not to break them or cut off the leaves too closely, as 

 they bleed when injured. 



In the United States the beet is a favorite vegetable, 

 largely cultivated in gardens for the table, and in lots and 

 fields for stock. The Sugar Beet and Ruta Baga are, how- 

 ever, generally chosen for the latter purpose. 



The Turnip-rooted variety is considered the earliest, 

 whilst the Long Bed is planted for the principal crop from 

 the middle of May to the 20th of June. 



The White Beet (Beta cicla) is chiefly cultivated for its 

 stalks or leaves, the mid-rib of which, divested of the sides 

 or leafy part, is added to soups, or, when peeled and boiled, 

 dressed and eaten like asparagus. The Swiss Chard is 

 one variety of the white beet, used in the same way. The 

 Silver or Sea-Kale Beet much resembles the White Beet, 



