AMERICAN GARDENER. 121 



of Kidney-bean must have rich ground to produce 

 a large crop. 



198. BEET. This vegetable, which is little 

 used in England, is here in as common use as 

 carrots are there. It should be sown in the fall 

 (see Paragraph 159 ;) but, if not, as soon as the 

 ground is free from frost, and is dry, in the spring. 

 The rows a foot apart and the plants eight inches 

 apart in the rows. In order to hasten the seed 

 up in the spring (if sown then) soak it four days 

 and nights in rain water before you sow it. Put 

 it two inches deep, cover it well, and press the 

 earth hard down upon it. Sow the seed pretty 

 thick all along the drill ; and, when the plants 

 come up, thin them to eight inches apart. Hoe 

 between the plants frequently ; but nofuery deep,; 

 because these tap, rooted things are apt to fork 

 if the ground be made loose very low down while 

 they are growing. There are yellow and white 

 Beets, as well as red ; but the red is the true 

 kind : the others are degenerate. There is, how- 

 ever, round , or turnip-rooted, red beet, which is 

 equally good with the tap-rooted-beet. The 

 ground should be rich, but not fresh dunged. 

 Ashes of wood, or compost mould, is best ; and 

 the digging ought to be ve'ry deep and all the 

 clods ought to be broken into fine earth ; because 

 the clods turn the point of the root aside, and 

 make the tap short, or forked. Fresh Dung-, 

 which, of course, lies in unequal qualities in 

 the ground, invites the tap root, or some of the 

 side roots to it, and thus causes a short or forked 

 beet, v^ch, for several reasons, is not so good 

 as a longkacj smooth one. As to the preserving 

 of beets during the winter, it is well known, that 

 11 



