542 



ROOT CROPS 



ROOT CROPS 



root out of the ground are easier to harvest but 

 are more liable to injury by frost. A plow may be 

 run beside the rows to loosen the ground in the 

 case of other varieties. They are usually harvested 

 before severe frost occurs and stored in root cellars 

 or in pits as are other roots. 



Enemies. 



The carrot has few troubles. A bacterial soft 

 rot (Bacillus carotovorus), for which no remedy is 

 known, gives trouble sometimes. The parsley worm 

 sometimes attacks the leaves. 



Hybrid-turnip. Brassica Eapa, var. hybrida, Era- 

 ser. CrucifercB. 



A cross between a rutabaga and a common 

 turnip, made with a view to securing a plant pos- 

 sessing the desirable characters of both parents, — 

 for example, to secure the higher dry-matter con- 

 tent of the rutabaga in a plant which will mature 

 in a shorter time. Such hybrids show characters of 

 either parent. Some varieties are highly esteemed, 

 as Fosterton Hybrid, Aberdeen Yellow, Carter 

 Lightning and Commonwealth, Carton Pioneer. 

 [For culture, see Turnip.] 



Half-sugar mangel. Beta vulgaris, Linn. Chenopo- 

 diaeeoe. 

 A cross between a modern sugar-beet and a 

 mangel, for the purpose of securing a mangel 

 richer in dry matter. Thus far little progress has 

 been made. Culture and management same as for 

 mangel [which see]. 



Jerusalem artichoke. Helianthus tuberosus, Linn. 

 CompositecB. 



A hardy perennial, with rough, much-branched 

 stems, six to eight feet high, which bear large, 

 rough, alternate leaves and large yellow flowers. 

 It is usually propagated by means of the tubers, 

 much in the same way as potatoes, the seeds being 

 used for the development of new varieties. 



In percentage composition Jerusalem artichoke 

 is very much like the potato : 



The plant is native in North America and has 

 been cultivated by the aborigines for centuries. 

 Since the advent of the Europeans it has been 

 neglected, and better varieties are now found in 

 Europe than here. The plant may be grown profit- 

 ably wherever the potato succeeds, and, since it 

 can withstand considerable periods of drought, it 

 is asserted that it should- find a more important 

 place in our agriculture, especially in the north- 

 western states. 



Culture. 



The land should be plowed deep, well manured 

 and well fitted. The tubers are planted either 



in fall or in spring, about two inches deep, eigh- 

 teen inches asunder and in rows three and one- 

 half feet apart. Six to eight bushels will plant an 

 acre, and since frost does not injure the tubers 

 one planting may be sufficient for two or three 

 successive crops. The crop should be cultivated 

 shallow, as corn or potatoes, and is harvested in the 

 same way as potatoes; or hogs may be turnod on the 

 field to root out the tubers. The best method of 

 handling a crop which comes from tubers left in the 

 land over winter is to use the weeder early in spring, 

 and as soon as the plants are well up run the cul- 

 tivator through in both directions, leaving the 

 plants in hills. 



Varieties. 



There are several varieties of Jerusalem arti- 

 choke, some of much better flavor than others, the 

 Improved White French being considered one of 

 the best. Some varieties are named from the color 

 of their skin, as Red-, Yellow-, Purple- and White- 

 skinned. 



Uses. 



The tubers are cooked as a vegetable, eaten raw 

 as a salad or pickled like cucumbers. They are also 

 used as stock-feed, principally for pigs, although 

 they are of some value for horses. 



Literature. 



Consult the Experiment Station Record for 

 references to the experience with Jerusalem 

 artichokes at the various experiment stations. In 

 addition, see Arkansas Experiment Station, Bulletin 

 No. 31 ; Missouri Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 

 29 ; Massachusetts Experiment Station, Bulletin 

 No. 10. 



Mangel. Beta vulgaris, Linn. Ghenopodiaeem. (Man- 

 gel-wurzel, Cattle Beet, Field Beet). 

 The mangel is a root crop used for stock-feeding. 

 It may be annual, is more commonly biennial, and 

 occasionally is triennial in duration. The part 

 used consists of part of the stem and part of the 

 root, both considerably thick- 

 ened, and so closely united 

 that the exact points of union 

 are not readily recognized. 

 The whole is frequently re- 

 ferred to as a "root." The 

 following names are given to 

 the different parts (Fig. 775): 



The stem includes (1) the neck, which supports 

 the leaves and flowers, and with the upper part of 

 the hypocotyl (the shoulders, B) constitutes the 

 crown (C). (2) The hypocotyl (H), used for the 

 storage of food. 



The root includes (1) the primary root (R) used 

 for the storage of food and on whose surface are 

 seen the dimples (D), in which arise fine, lateral, 

 fibrous roots. (2) The taproot and its branching 

 fibrous roots, which, like the lateral fibrous roots, 

 may attain a depth of four or five feet. 



The neck may be long, medium, short or absent, 

 and since it is of less value than the remainder 



