LEADING VEGETABLE CROPS 1 27 



this thinning- process, removing the larger beets 

 after they become sufficiently developed for use, 

 thus giving the smaller ones an opportunity to de- 

 velop in turn. 



Beet seeds should be planted from i to iJ4 

 inches deep. The seed germinates rather slowly 

 and for this reason small quantities of lettuce or 

 cabbage seed are frequently mixed with it in order 

 to mark the rows and make earlier cultivation pos- 

 sible. The beet is comparatively hardy with refer- 

 ence to frost and the seed may be sown as early as 

 it is possible to prepare the soil. Shallow cultiva- 

 tion should be followed at sufficiently frequent in- 

 tervals to keep the soil perfectly clean and prevent 

 the formation of crusts. The bulk of the crop of 

 garden beets is always sold in a partially matured 

 form in bunches of from four to six beets each. Only 

 the dead or dried leaves are removed. They are 

 then packed in various styles of packages for de- 

 livery to market. 



The beet is becoming a popular canning vegetable 

 and in many places is extensively grown for this 

 purpose. For both bunching and canning they are 

 preferred when they have reached the size of from 

 ij4 to 2 inches in diameter. The beet is forced 

 to a considerable extent in many localities, being 

 especially desirable for cold frame and hotbed grow- 

 ing. They are sometimes grown in the greenhouse, 

 but the possible returns from the crop hardly justify 

 the use of the space for this purpose. 



Matured beets in the fall of the year are fre- 

 quently stored and handled as potatoes, and in this 

 form are sold to a considerable extent almost the 

 entire year round. 



The beet is comparatively free from serious in- 



