CHAPTER XXI 

 ROOT CROPS 



532. Introduction. For convenience, all those forage 

 crops which are not included among the grasses and legumes 

 are grouped under the class name of root crops, though not 

 all are grown for their roots. Practically all these plants are 

 biennials which during their first season's growth store up 

 food in their roots or stems to supply nourishment to the 

 fruiting stem the following season. Such plants as beets, 

 mangels, turnips, rutabagas and carrots are grown for their 

 fleshy roots, which are really a thickening of the base of the 

 stem and the top of the taproot. The head of cabbage is 

 a mass of leaves closely folded together, while kohlrabi is an 

 enlargement of the stem rather than of the root. Rape and 

 kale are closely related to the cabbage, but do not produce 

 heads. The area in "root forage" for the entire United 

 States in 1909 was less than 19,000 acres, with a total pro- 

 duction of 254,500 tons. This includes only mangels, turnips 

 rutabagas and carrots. These root crops are produced most 

 largely in Maine, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minne- 

 sota, Washington, and Oregon. 



THE BEET 



533. Classes. The beet, Beta vulgaris, has been de- 

 veloped into four distinct types, in each of which there are 

 many varieties. These are (1) the chard, grown for its 

 thick leaf stalks, which are used as greens; (2) the garden 

 beet, grown for its edible roots; (3) the sugar beet, grown for 

 the production of sugar; and (4) the mangel or mangel- 



