134 



Nature-Study Agriculture 



How it 

 may be 

 checked 



The soil 

 best suited 

 for beets 

 and 

 similar 

 crops 



Time 

 to plant 



Thinning 



crawl into the ear, eating the grains as they go. The 

 best means to combat this pest is to raise a variety 

 of corn with a thick, close-fitting husk, such as the 

 evergreen, and to keep the corn well watered and grow- 

 ing rapidly while the ears are forming. As a partial 

 remedy the silks may be dusted several times with ar- 

 senate of lead in the form of a fine, dry powder. 



Underground crops ; beets, etc. Beets, carrots, pars- 

 nips, and salsify (oyster plant) are much alike in the 

 culture and soil that they require. A deep, sandy loam 

 is best for them, for if the ground is hard the roots are 

 likely to branch and become irregular in shape. A 

 heavily fertilized soil is very desirable; but in fresh 

 manure the roots tend to branch, and it should not be 

 used. 



These are all " cold-loving crops " and should be 

 planted early in the spring. The seeds should be planted 

 about an inch deep in rows sixteen inches apart. Pars- 

 nips and salsify are slow to come up. A few radish 

 seeds are sometimes planted with them to mark the row, 

 so that cultivation may be started early. The radishes 

 will mature before the other plants need the room. 

 Parsnips and salsify require the whole season to mature. 



Beets may be thinned twice : first when they are about 

 six inches high and will do for greens, and later when the 

 roots are large enough to put up in bunches for sale. 

 The remaining beets, now about four inches apart, 

 may grow to full size for winter use. Carrots, parsnips, 

 or salsify, if too thick, should be thinned soon after they 

 come up, so that they will have room enough to grow to 

 their full size without crowding. 



