CHAPTER XV. 

 THE BEET. 



THE BEET. Beta vulgaris. 



French, betterave; German, runkelrube; Dutch and Flemish, betwortel; 

 Danish, rodbede; Italian, barbabietola ; Spanish, remolacha; Portuguese, 

 betarava. 



LEAF-BEET OR Swiss CHARD. Idem. 



French, poiree, German, beisskohl ; Dutch and Flemish, snij beet ; Danish, 

 blad bede ; Italian, bieta ; Spanish, bleda ; Portuguese, a celga. 



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 uninjured by any temperature 

 which is experienced in California 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 ex- 

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

 injured for any purpose by standing where it has grown for a con- 

 siderable time after it has reached its first maturity. The beet is 

 counted, however, rather a coarse vegetable, and would be con- 

 signed to rather a lowly place did not its present achievements and 

 its greater promise as a source of sugar give it commanding im- 

 portance. Though our people are somewhat chary about putting 

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

 install in cut glass or silver bowls the solid extract of beet-root in 

 the form of sugar cubes or granules. The industrial 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 conditions, 

 it needs for the proper germination of its seed moist, warm ground, 

 and it makes rapid and tender growth with the same soil conditions. 

 In cold, wet soil or in hot, dry land, it will grow slowly and will 

 be tough and of inferior flavor. Though it is true that beets will 

 endure much drought, growing slowly and rooting deeply on land 

 where grain and hay would fail and subsequently, with the coming 

 of the fall rains, assume more active growth and reach large size 

 for the winter feeding of stock, it is not in that way that tender 

 and sound-flavored table beets can be produced. They should make 

 rapid growth from start to finish, and then they may remain in 



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