192 VEGETABLE GROWING PROJECTS 



unless very small roots are wanted; early turnips, a couple 

 of inches; late ones, four to six; parsnips, four to six; salsify, 

 three to four. 



Various kinds of small tools are available for thinning. It is 

 often a matter of destroying whole clusters of surplus plants. 



1. How far apart should the plants of early and late root crops stand 



in the row ? 



2. What is an effective method of thinning ? 



11. Cultivating. — Thorough tillage is a most important factor 

 in the growing of root crops. Tillage should begin as soon as the 

 rows can be seen and repeated as often as may be necessary until 

 the roots are fully developed. Wheel hoes with various attach- 

 ments are universally employed. They are great labor-saving 

 implements and should be used instead of hand hoes whenever it 

 is possible. 



1. Describe the character of the cultivation required to grow good 



root crops. W : 186. 



2. What tools are necessary ? 



3. Explain the uses of the various attachments of hand wheel hoes. 



4. Explain the uses of the various types of hand hoes. 



12. Weeding. — Even with the most thorough cultivation, 

 more or less hand weeding is necessary in growing root crops. 

 Various kinds of small tools, referred to in W : 305, are available to 

 facilitate this work. It is necessarily a tedious and expensive 

 operation, and should be reduced to a minimum by the proper 

 use of cultivators. 



1. What tools do you think you should have for weeding ? 



