CHAPTER XV. 



THE BEET. 



The Beet. Beta vulgaris. 



French, betterave ; German, runkelrube ; Dutch and 

 Flemish, betwortel ; Danish, rodbede ; Italian, barbabie- 

 tola; Spanish, remolacha; Portuguese, betarava. 



The beet as a garden vegetable is taken from the ground 

 every day in the year in California. It can be sown at 

 almost any time, and at all stages of its growth is un- 

 injured by any temperature which is experienced in Cali- 

 fornia valleys. Moisture conditions do, however, affect its 

 growth. It is unwise to sow the seed in cold, wet ground, 

 but if the seedling has taken hold it can endure extremes 

 of saturation or drought for a long period, and it is not 

 injured for any purpose by standing where it has grown 

 for a considerable time after it has reached its first ma- 

 turity. The beet is counted, however, rather a coarse 

 vegetable, and would be consigned to rather a lowly place 

 did not its present achievements and its greater promise 

 as a source of sugar give it commanding importance. 

 Though our people are somewhat chary about putting the 

 boiled beet-root in their table china, they do not hesitate 

 to instal in cut glass or silver bowls the solid extract of 

 beet-root in the form of sugar cubes or granules. The in- 

 dustrial importance of the beet includes also its value and 

 availability as an auxiliary cattle food, and it is all the 

 more esteemed for that purpose because in our climate it 

 needs no root-cellar or even earth-covering, but is pulled 

 all days of the year, fresh and succulent, from the site in 

 which the seed was cast months before. 



THE GARDEN BEET. 

 Though, as stated, the beet is hardy under all our con- 



