290 GARDENING FOE THE SOUTH. 



uier greens, or of the latter the midrib and stalk may be 

 peeled and boiled separately from the rest of the leaf, 

 and prepared as asparagus, for which they are an excel- 

 lent substitute. Iu gathering, the largest outside leaves 

 should first be taken, and the inner ones left to increase 

 in size, taking care to gather them while still perfectly 

 green and vigorous. 



When common beets are thinned, the young beets 

 pulled up, if cooked, tops and bottoms, are very sweet and 

 delicate. When well grown, the roots give an agreeable 

 variety to our table vegetables, beiug tender, sweet, aud 

 considerably nourishing. They also make an excellent 

 pickle. If eaten moderately, they are wholesome, but in 

 too large a quantity produce flatulence and indigestion. 



Marketing. — The roots are pulled when not quite 

 grown, at a period when they are crisp and tender. The 

 tops are cut off about two inches from the root, because 

 if cut too close the beet will lose much of the moisture 

 before it reaches the market, and its quality will be 

 greatly impaired. With some gardeners the practice is 

 to tie four of the roots together in a bundle and thus ship 

 to market the first three weeks, but as the season ad- 

 vances the beets vary in size, and then the bunching is 

 discontinued, and the roots are packed in well-ventilated 

 barrels or bushel baskets. 



BORECOLE. — ( Brassica ohracea, fimbriata.) 



This plant, known also as Kale and German Greens, is 

 the easiest cultivated, and one of the most valuable of the 

 cabbage tribe. It has large curled or wrinkled leaves, 

 forming an open head, and such a hardy constitution that 

 it resists the severest frosts, which serve only to improve 

 it. It remains green and eatable all winter without the 

 least protection at the South, and in the Northern States 

 requires only a slight covering. The best varieties are : 



