102 THE BEET 
you see many veins, or only a few large ones? 
Where do the veins start? Where do they end? 
7. Break off a leaf stem close to the beet; do you see a 
tiny green leaf or shoot at the base of it? If not, 
break off another and examine it. 
8. Break back the leaf stems one by one until you come 
to a small green leaf partly rolled up, and two or 
three very small green leaves folded lengthwise. 
This is the place from which the young green 
leaves grow. Can you mmake out how they are 
folded ? 
9. With a pin raise a little piece of skin and notice the 
bright red flesh underneath. 
Cross Section 
10. Cut a cross section of the beet. Notice the red 
and white concentric rings. These look something 
like the rings of the onion. Look closely at them 
and tell how they differ from the onion. 
11. Press one of the halves firmly down on the piece of 
blotter, and see if it will paint its own portrait. 
12. Cut the thinnest possible slice and hold it up to the 
light. Notice the beautiful color; the even, smooth 
color of the red; the spots and lines in the white 
rings. 
