November 6, 1S89.] 



Garden and Forest. 



535 



apart. " Beets three to four inches hi diameter are better than 

 smaller ones, and many families imderstand tiiat these large 

 beets, especially if balced, are far superior for the table to 

 smaller ones. 



Beet seed is easily grown, and every gari.lener who is desir- 

 ous of fine beets should raise his own seed, carefully selecting 

 medium sized roots, having the characteristics most desired. 

 These should be preserved in sand, carefully set out as early 

 in spring as possible, and the seed stems supported as they 

 grow by small stakes and string. A dozen beets will produce 

 a pound or more of ripe seed. 



Is the wild original of our garden Beet an annual, like the 



A new Rhubarb bed, which I set out last spring, has sur- 

 prised me by its remarkable growth. The ground was heavily 

 manured on the surface, and plowed about eight inches deep. 

 Roots with from one to three buds were set rather deeply four 

 feet each way, and did not seem to grow remarkably fast at 

 first. But about midsummer they started ahead with tremen- 

 dous vigor, and by the middle of September plenty of stalks 

 could be found that would weigh a pound each. What seemed 

 remarkable was, that at that time these stalks were in nice 

 tender eating order, while those from old beds were hard and 

 stringy. 



Parsnips, as well as Beets, need careful thinning to jirodace 



Fijj;. 141. — Viburnum lanta 



Carrot ? It will sometimes send up a seed stem the first year; 

 but also it will occasionally not send one up the second season 

 when set for seed, but will increase in size and be as good for 

 the table the second fall as the first. I have heard of beets 

 in California growing on in this way for several seasons and 

 attaining very great weights, exceeding 100 pounds. 

 ^ lOnions, especially onions grown from sets, have shown a 

 disposition to rot this year. The decay begins in' the spot from 

 which the roots issue, and is of a dry character. I have noticed 

 the same thing in " multipliers," or " potato-onions," years ago, 

 but never before in the crops grown from black seed. If this 

 disease extends, it will make onion growing for market an even 

 more precarious business than it now is. 



noides. — See page 531. 



good merchantable roots. I find five inches asunder not too 

 much. The land for Parsnips, unless very light, needs deep 

 tillage to get well shaped roots. If one is growing this vege- 

 table for market the care necessary to get long and evenly 

 sized parsnips is well expended. A load of this character will 

 find a speedy sale where crooked, " sprangly " roots would fail 

 of a buyer. 



There is a considerable improvement in Carrots lately. The 

 new Chantenay is quite astonishing in its uniformity and 

 smoothness. Planting an experimental plot among my other 

 Carrots, I am so pleased with it that I shall hardly care for any 

 other sort for market sales. 



Newport, Vt. T. H. HoskitlS. 



