22 THE SEED-GROWER. 
inches or so of straw, and then six inches of earth, in- 
creased to eighteen as winter sets in, packed firmly and 
ridged so as to turn off water. Roots may also be kept 
in a cool cellar, piled in heaps and covered with turf. 
When storing in pits, the tops of the large roots 
should be cut off, doing it carefully so as not to injure 
the centre germ; but in the case of small roots it is cus- 
tomary to allow the tops and leaves to remain on. The 
small roots may be placed in hollow, tapering piles, 
with an air chamber about one foot wide at the bottom, 
made extending the length of the pit. This is formed 
by piling the roots with the tops the same distance 
apart on the floor of the pit and drawing them together 
as other roots are laid in. 
Planting Roots.—The roots should be planted out 
in spring as soon as all danger from frost is past. Set 
them in rows three feet apart, eighteen inches in the 
row. Exercise care not to break the main or tap root, 
nor the young sprouts which grew during winter. 
Holes for planting large roots may be made for the 
round varieties with a dibble, for the long sorts with a 
crowbar. Press earth firmly around the tap root, and 
cover evenly with the surface of the ground. Cultivate 
thoroughly; keep free and clean from weeds; hoe the 
earth to the roots. 
Harvesting.—Seeds are produced along the stem, 
pinching the tips of which as seed begins to develop, 
will improve its size, but this may be omitted in grow- 
ing seed on a large scale. Seed ripening is indicated 
by fruit turning brown, and when bulk of the crop is 
at this stage, harvest may be begun, with an ordinary 
sickle or reaping-hook. 
Seed is always fully matured before the stalks have 
become dry, but if they are allowed to become too 
