CHAPTER FOURTEEN 



ROOT CROPS AND HOW TO GROW THEM 



Say what you will of roots and the root crop, I like to 

 have a good lot of them for winter use. I would not do 

 without them for twice their cost. 



Old Farmer's Almanac 



THE radish, turnip, rutabaga, beet, carrot, parsnip, 

 and salsify are the principal root crops commonly grown 

 in vegetable gardens. While these plants thrive best in 

 temperate regions, they are all grown successfully in our 

 southern states during the cooler months of winter and 

 early spring. The sweet potato is another important 

 root crop, but it is not adapted to the shorter growing 

 period of the more northern states. 



Root crops are very important vegetables. In the 

 first place, they yield abundantly. There are 400 or 500 

 plants in a row of carrots or beets 100 feet long, and these 

 crops often yield at the rate of 600 bushels to the acre. 

 The yield is high also in the other root crops. 



In the second place, root crops, taken together, are avail- 

 able for use during practically the whole year. Radishes 

 are the first vegetable ready for the table from seed 

 planted in the spring. Beets and carrots are long-season 

 crops, but the young and partially grown roots may be 

 pulled for use early, thus much extending the period 

 of harvest for the crop. Radishes and turnips can be 

 grown in the fall as well as in the spring, and in the 

 autumn the surplus of all root crops may be stored 

 for winter consumption. Parsnips and salsify can be 

 dug for use, during autumn and spring, and also dur- 

 ing winter when the ground is not frozen. These root 

 crops have a special value because they supply vege- 



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