XIII 

 BEETS AND CHAKD 



THE beet is the only vegetable usually grown 

 both for root and foliage. As certain varieties 

 have been developed for table use, the roots have 

 become rounder, growing nearer the surface and 

 so more rapidly ; and, at the same time naturally, 

 the tops have grown bigger and tenderer. The 

 long-rooted more slowly growing kinds are being 

 used less and less for the table. One variety, 

 Swiss chard, has been so developed that, like cel- 

 ery, it produces mainly leaves. All kinds are 

 hardy and easy to grow, and all are good for food. 

 The roots are full of starch and the leaves provide 

 the green coarse food so necessary to health. The 

 hardiness of beets makes it possible to grow them 

 early, and the first "thinnings" are ready to help 

 satisfy the spring hunger for green things, long 

 before the main garden is ready. 



Beet "seeds," as we consider them, are tiny 

 fruits with hard rough husks, containing, each of 

 them, two or more seeds. Their outer covering is 

 so hard that they are planted shells and all. The 

 seeds are so completely protected by the hard 

 husks that they may be safely kept for five years 



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