154 GARDEN FARMING 



the growth of weeds and to keep the surface of the ground 

 loose, in order to preserve a proper degree of moisture by main- 

 taining a slight soil mulch. 



As soon as the young plants are strong enough to insure a 

 stand they should be thinned to the desired distance. This will be 

 from 3 to 9 inches, according to the purpose for which the crop 

 is grown and the size and character of the variety. 



Harvesting garden beets. Beets which are intended to be 

 marketed as bunch beets are gathered as soon as they are from 

 i \ to 2 inches in diameter and are tied in bunches of from 4 to 

 6 beets, the injured or dead leaves only being removed as the crop 

 is harvested. The bunches are then packed in crates similar to 

 those employed for the shipment of cabbage. Such crates usually 

 hold from 80 to 100 bunches of beets. If the weather is warm, 

 they are shipped in refrigerator cars. If carried only a short dis- 

 tance, they may be shipped by express or local freight. 



Garden beets as a forced crop. In some favored localities along 

 the Atlantic coast, where the winters are mild, beet seed is sown 

 in frames about the middle of October. Early in the season these 

 frames are covered with cloth to protect the plants and are so 

 arranged that the cloth can be replaced by glazed sash as the cold 

 increases, and this, in turn, reenforced with mats and shutters when 

 necessary. The seedling plants carried in this way through the 

 severe part of the winter are transplanted to the open field from 

 February 15 to February 25. In localities where severe freezing 

 is likely to occur after these dates, the beets are set in beds 

 so arranged as to be protected with glazed sash, cloth covers, or 

 muslins. These muslins are like those described in connection 

 with the cultivation of lettuce. A frame composed of i-inch boards 

 12 inches wide is constructed around the area occupied by the 

 beets, and through the middle of this, about 3 feet above the sur- 

 face of the ground, is set up a ridgepole over which are sprung 

 narrow strips to act as supports to the cloth. The cloth is then 

 used as a. cover only during periods of severe storm or during 

 nights when the beds are liable to be chilled. As soon as the 

 weather conditions will permit, these frames are lifted and carried 

 to other parts of the field, and the beets are allowed to reach 

 maturity in the open. Under favorable conditions in the latitude 



