GARDENING FOR MARKET. 439 



may be very profitably grown. It is best to raise both the 

 long scarlet and the short top turnip-rooted varieties the 

 former for common trade, and the latter for those who are 

 more choice in their taste, the proportion of each being 

 regulated according to the character of the market. 



The seed may be sown, rather thinly, with a seed drill 

 between the rows of beets. No cultivation is needed. The 

 seed is the only cost except the preparation for market, and 

 this need be applied only to so much as there is a sale for ; 

 the rest can be simply cut out with a push hoe, before the 

 beets will require the whole ground. 



We have now provided for the planting of all the land, 

 and will need to commence promptly to use the hoes, of 

 which at least two should be kept going incessantly until 

 the crops are all firmly established, and are able to hold their 

 own against weeds. In fact, at no time during the growth 

 of the crops, until they are too large to be worked among 

 without injury, should weeds be allowed to grow at all. If 

 they once get started so that there must be a fight to get rid 

 of them, we may as well say good-bye to all hope of profit, 

 for they will require more labor than it will be pleasant to 

 pay for, and the crops will be materially injured by them. 

 If, on the other hand, every foot of the land be lightly hoed 

 over (or even raked with a light iron rake until it becomes 

 too hard) once a week, there will be no weeds to kill, and 

 the plants themselves will be sufficiently benefited by the 

 operation to pay the cost. 



