BEETROOT 157 



The best variety is Best of All, the pods being 

 handsome, produced very freely and of excellent 

 flavour. Neal's Ne Plus Ultra, Scarlet Emperor 

 and Prizewinner, if carefully selected, are also very 

 good. 



BEETROOT. 



Though not such an important vegetable as many 

 others for exhibition, every exhibitor of vegetables 

 should be prepared with a good dish or two. It should 

 be included in all large collections, but not in any con- 

 taining less than ten. To obtain first-class specimens 

 a deep light loam is necessary, and the Beet should be 

 grown on land previously occupied by Celery, and no 

 manure used when preparing the ground for this crop. 

 As soon as the Celery has been cleared off commence 

 to trench, giving a dressing of old mortar rubbish, road 

 scrapings and wood ashes. The practice of boring 

 holes as advised for Carrots also holds good in this 

 case, whatever soil one may have to deal with. Bore 

 the holes four feet deep, fifteen inches apart, and 

 eighteen inches between the rows, filling in firmly with 

 old potting soil, road scrapings, old hot-bed manure, 

 well decayed leaf soil, mortar rubbish, and wood ashes, 

 passing the whole through a quarter-inch mesh sieve. 

 Place four or five seeds in the centre about two inches 

 below the surface. In the early morning dust with soot 

 and wood ashes occasionally, and keep the Dutch hoe 

 busy between the plants when they appear to be making 

 headway. Thin out as advised in other instances, and 



