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ROOT CROPS THAT ENDURE SUMMER HEAT 



ROOT CROPS THAT WITHSTAND WINTER FREEZING AS WELL 

 AS SUMMER HEAT 



Beets and carrots must be harvested before the ground freezes 

 in the fall. Parsnips, salsify and horse-radish constitute a group 

 of root crops that are not injured by freezing during the winter 

 following the season in which they have made their growth. In 

 fact, freezing is thought to improve rather than to impair their 

 quality. At any rate they are surer to be crisp if freshly dug than 

 if stored under unfavorable conditions. Therefore it is a common 



1 



Fig. 89. — Carrots of three types. The short type is usually grown for 

 early use, and the larger types for winter. 



practice to allow them to remain in the ground all winter and dig 

 them very early the following spring. However, part of the crop 

 if often dug in the fall to afford a winter's supply. 



Parsnips. — Parsnip seed quickly loses its germinative power. 

 Therefore, none but fresh seed should be planted. It should be 

 sown in drills about eighteen inches apart, at the time early beets 

 and carrots are sown. Parsnips require the entire season in which 



