QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 15 



flourish to a greater extent on wax-podded beans than on the old green- 

 podded and less juicy and less delicate forms. 



73. Q. What is a string bean ? Bean. 



A. It should be in its best estate a bean without a string, properly a 

 snap short, bat few sorts are perfectly stringless. 



73. Q. How should sugar peas be prepared for cooking? SagarPeas. 

 A. Break off the ends, pull off the strings, and then break up the pods 



into pieces half an inch long ; cook same as string beans. 



74. Q. Can you explain why my spinach for two years back has been so Spinach. 

 sickly as to be of little value ? 



A. It must be suffering from insects at the root or from one of the three 

 or four fungus growths known as spinach blight. If so, the only remedy 

 is a change of location of the spinach patch. 



75. Q. Does the color of the leaves of beets indicate the color of the flesh Beets. 



of the roots? Color of 



A. No ; the leaves of Long Blood beet, as generally sold, is quite one- 

 third dashed with green. When selected entirely of deep red foliage, the 

 production of seed is so reduced as to be unprofitable. 



76. Q. How many tons to the acre of sugar beets are grown on the beet Sugar Beets. 

 farms of Germany ? 



A. Twenty to thirty tons. 



77. Q. What percentage of sugar is obtained from the German sugar Beet Sugar. 

 beets? 



A. Many years ago only five per cent, as the result of actual manufac- 

 ture ; now tea and sometimes fourteen tons of sugar from one hundred 

 tons of beets. 



78. Q. What are Mangold Wurzels? Mangolds. 

 A. A family of beets bred to a large size for cattle feeding. The roots 



are easily injured by Autumn frosts, and therefore must be taken up in 

 good time and properly protected. When first harvested they are acrid 

 and scour cattle, but after a few months become palatable and safe. The 

 approved types produce massive roots which, well elevated above the 

 surface, are harvested with the greatest ease and produce double the 

 weight of turnips to the acre, to which advantage may be added the high 

 nutritive value, the saccharine often being equal to six or seven per cent, 

 of the gross weight. The Mangold is a high feeder — potash and nitrogen 

 are needed to force the plant into vigorous growth ; stable manure will 

 do it, or kainit mixed with dried meat or fish. Drill when the cherry is 

 in bloom, 



79. Q. What should be done with the weeds when pulled up ? Weeds. 

 A. They may be burned and the ashes used as manure. They may be 



used in the formation of compost piles if their seeds are immature, or they 

 may be put in cattle yards to be trampled down. 



80 Q. What is the best manure ? 3ianure. 



A. "Landreths' Farm Notes" says stable manure is king, but it can- 

 not always be obtained in quantity, nor at the desired periods ; failing to 



