FIELD ROOT CROPS. 121 



long red is that when harvesting and putting in 

 the cellar many of them are broken, which injures 

 their keeping qualities. The broken or bruised 

 roots should be fed first. The best variety of 

 sugar-beet for farm purposes is the giant variety. 

 It is a hea\y cropper, one which will average under 

 favorable conditions between twenty-five and thirty 

 tons per acre. It stands well out of the ground, so 

 that it is easil}' har\-ested. Sugar-beets are more 

 nutritious than any other field root, and will keep 

 longer. 



64. STORING ROOTS IN PIT. 



In Central and Northern Ontario the time to when and How 



.to Harvest 



har\''est mangel-wurzels and sugar-beets is from Field Roots, 

 the fifteenth to the twenty-fifth of October. When 

 pulling, it is preferable to twist the tops off by hand, 

 as when topped ^^'ith a knife they are more liable 

 to decay. For convenience in loading into the 

 waggon, throw four drills into a row, providing 

 there is no danger of frost; allow them to remain 

 on the ground for twenty-four hours after being 

 pulled and topped, as this will improve their keeping 

 quality. If there is any indication of frost they 

 should be either housed or covered every night, as 

 three or four degrees of frost will injure mangel- 

 wurzels and sugar-beets after they are pulled. 



