BEET. 157 



with chopped furze before covering in the mould. 

 Any one of these expedients will be completely suc- 

 cessful. Avoid too thick sowing, which admits of 

 no growth but straw. Let the drills be eighteen 

 inches apart, and the seeds of the larger sorts four 

 or five inches separate those of the smaller, three 

 or four inches from each other in the drill. In the 

 subsequent culture, to correct the hardness which 

 the soil is apt to contract from heavy rains in 

 spring, let it be well stirred up between the drills; 

 and let the summer hoeings be so frequent as to 

 leave no vestige of a weed, and to keep the soil well 

 up about the stems of the plants, which greatly 

 promotes the fruitfulness of the bean. If the sum- 

 mer prove wet, and the growth too luxuriant, the 

 tops of the stalks should be shorn, in order to admit 

 more air and encourage the filling of the pods. 



Beet. Eed beet (the white is not worthy of cul- 

 tivation) is a very saccharine and wholesome vege- 

 table, and makes an excellent pickle. Sow the seed 

 about the middle of April, and on deep ground, 

 manured for the preceding crop, llecent manuring 

 causes the roots to grow fibrous and distorted, and 

 too early sowing disposes the plant to run to seed. 

 The drills should be eighteen inches apart, and the 

 plants thinned to six or eight inches from each 

 other. In lifting this crop, care must be taken not 

 to break the taproot. The beet may be stored in 

 sand or pitted in the garden before any severe frosts 

 have come on. In making the pit, the chief 

 thing is to provide for getting up the roots safely 



