292 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



many. When the roots are wanted for seed production 

 they must be properly preserved over winter and planted 

 in the open as early as possible in the spring, about 2 x 

 4 feet apart, to provide sufficient space for the lateral 

 spread of the tops, which attain a lieight of from 2 to 

 4 feet. For the production of an early crop of roots, the 

 seeds must be sown as soon in the spring as the ground 

 can be prepared, the short or globular varieties being 

 used for this sowing. A succession of roots is secured 

 by planting the same variety at intervals of two to three 

 weeks or by sowing, early, medium and late varieties at 

 the same time. As many consumers prefer the smaller 

 roots, it is customary to use early, small-rooted sorts 

 throughout the season, although the half-long varieties 

 are more largely planted for midsummer, fall and winter 

 use. From 8 to lo weeks are required to mature the 

 earliest varieties and four or five months for the late. 

 The latest varieties should not be planted in most sec- 

 tions after the middle of June. 



Various planting distances are used by different 

 growers. Ten or 12 inches between rows is sufficient 

 space for the small early varieties and 15 inches is ample 

 for any variety if a hand wheel hoe is to be used in cul- 

 tivating. Some growers prefer to plant 24 to 30 inches 

 apart and then cultivate with a horse. 



The necessary amount of seed depends mainly upon 

 the variety and size of roots desired. The small roots 

 are sometimes grown an inch apart in the row, when 

 much more seed is required than when the roots are 

 grown 4 to 6 inches apart. Ordinarily it takes from two 

 to three pounds of seed to plant an acre, or one ounce to 

 300 feet of drill. For the smallest roots 15 to 20 seeds 

 a foot of row will not be too many, while less than half 

 this number would be satisfactory for late varieties and 

 larger roots. Thinning is universally practiced to secure 

 large roots of uniform size, the distance between plants 



