276 THE FORAGE AND FII5ER CROPS IN AMERICA 



The genus Brassica includes in addition to the above-men- 

 tioned plants the mustards, as well as many potherbs, and be- 

 longs to the mustard family (Cnicifcrac), which includes the 

 garden radish, horse radish, water cress, and garden cress. The 

 beet belongs to the goosefoot family (Chcnopodiaccac}, which 

 includes spinach and that widely distributed weed, lamb's 

 quarter or pigweed (Chenopodiwn album L.). 



344. Types of the Beet. The beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is 

 cultivated in four general forms, in each of which there are 



many varieties namely, ( i ) 

 chard, its leaves used as pot- 

 herb or for ornamental pur- 

 poses; (2) garden beet, gen- 

 erally with red-colored flesh, 

 and used for cooking; (3) 

 sugar beet, generally with 

 white-colored flesh, and culti- 

 vated for its sugar and for 

 stock feeding; and (4) man- 

 gel-wurzels, generally with 

 parti-colored flesh, supposed 

 to be a cross between the 

 former two, and used exten- 

 sively for stock feeding. 



345. Description of the 

 Beet. The beet, while usually 



Danish Improved half-sugar mangel-wurzel. ,. ." 



An excellent type; pulls up clean, has referred to as a fOOt, IS 



shallow dimples, good shoulders, single really a modified stem and 



neck and crown, single tap root, and good 



foUage> primary root closely united. 



The neck, which supports the 



leaves, and the upper portion or shoulder of the stem constitute 

 the crown which, in the case of sugar beets, is removed prepara- 

 tory to the manufacture of sugar. The neck should be short and 

 the flesh firm, with no tendency to sponginess or hollowness. The 



