374 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



PIG. 48. Radish. 



sown as soon as the ground can be worked, for use in the 



late spring and summer ; and late turnips, sown very late and 

 stored for winter use. In the home garden, 

 the seeds are planted in rows ten to twenty 

 inches apart, and afterwards the plants are 

 thinned to six to ten inches apart in the 

 rows. Turnips are such hardy plants 

 that they require no special care in culti- 

 vation. 



Turnips, however, are often grown as a 

 field crop, to be raised on a larger scale, 

 either for the market or for feeding. In 

 this case the rows are farther apart (about 

 30 inches), so that a horse may be used in 

 tilling the soil. It is reported that some- 

 times the yield of turnips reaches 10CO 

 bushels to the acre. 

 82. Beet. The beet belongs to a family of homely weeds, 



known as the goosefoot family (Chenopo- 



diacese), and about its only useful associate 



is spinach. The inconspicuous flowers 



occur in clusters which form a spike ; but 



the leaves are large and sometimes purple 



tinged, and are often used for " greens." 

 Young beets form an important early 



crop of the market gardens, often many 



acres being employed in their cultivation. 



The soil needed and the tillage are the 



same as for other root crops. The first 



sowing is done as soon as the soil can 



be worked, and the usual rows (about a 



foot apart) are established, followed by FIG. 49 Turnip. After 



, i BAILEY. 



the usual thinning (to about six inches 



apart). Of course when horse cultivation is desirable, the 



rows must be farther apart (two to three feet). There is also 



