22 THE SEED-GROWER. 



inches or so of straw, and then six inches of earth, in- 

 creased to eighteen as winter sets in, packed firmly and 

 ridged so as to turn off water. Roots may also be kept 

 in a cool cellar, piled in heaps and covered with turf. 



When storing in pits, the tops of the large roots 

 should be cut off, doing it carefully so as not to injure 

 the centre germ; but in the case of small roots it is cus- 

 tomary to allow the tops and leaves to remain on. The 

 small roots may be placed in hollow, tapering piles, 

 with an air chamber about one foot wide at the bottom, 

 made extending the length of the pit. This is formed 

 by piling the roots with the tops the same distance 

 apart on the floor of the pit and drawing them together 

 as other roots are laid in. 



Planting Roots. The roots should be planted out 

 in spring as soon as all danger from frost is past. Set 

 them in rows three feet apart, eighteen inches in the 

 row. Exercise care not to break the main or tap root, 

 nor the young sprouts which grew during winter. 

 Holes for planting large roots may be made for the 

 round varieties with a dibble, for the long sorts with a 

 crowbar. Press earth firmly around the tap root, and 

 cover evenly with the surface of the ground. Cultivate 

 thoroughly; keep free and clean from weeds; hoe the 

 earth to the roots. 



Harvesting. Seeds are produced along the stem, 

 pinching the tips of which as seed begins to develop, 

 will improve its size, but this may be omitted in grow- 

 ing seed on a large scale. Seed ripening is indicated 

 by fruit turning brown, and when bulk of the crop is 

 at this stage, harvest may be begun, with an ordinary 

 sickle or reaping-hook. 



Seed is always fully matured before the stalks have 

 become dry, but if they are allowed to become too 



