190 KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Left: in the ground, they will stand almost any i a of. 
freezing cold in: winter. 
. Rep Beer (Beta vulgaris) a biennial plant, native of . 
the shores of the south. of Europe. The boiled root ia 
eaten cold, in thin slices, either by itself. or as a salad: it 
is alsoioften used.as a pickle. The varieties are numerous, 
but the most common are the Long-rooted, the Short or 
Turnip-rooted, the Bassano, and the Gigantic dark beet. 
There is a fine French variety called Castlenaudary, from 
a,town in Languedoc; but.as yet-it is little known in this 
country, .. rs 
The red. beet prospers in a rich, deep soil, not recently 
manured, and which has been well pulverized by the spade. 
During April the seeds may be sown in drills, fifteen inches 
asunder, and the plants are afterwards to be thinned to eight 
inches from each other in the lines. In the northern parts 
of the island, the roots are stored in winter, care being 
taken not to break them or cut off the leaves too closely, as 
they bleed when injured. 2 4 
In the United States the beet.is a favorite vegetable, 
largely cultivated in gardens for the table, and in lots and 
fields for stock. : The Sugar Beet and Ruta Baga are, HOR: 
ever, generally chosen for the latter purpose. : 
The Turnip-rooted variety is considered the earliest, 
whilst the, luong Red is planted for the principal crop from 
the middle of May to the 20th of June. 
The White Beet (Beta cicla) is chiefly cultivated for its 
stalks or leaves, the mid-rib of which, divested of the sides 
or leafy part, is added to soups, or, when peeled and boiled, 
dressed and eaten like asparagus, The Swiss .Chard -is 
one variety. of the white beet, used in the same way. The 
Silver or Sea-Kale Beet much resembles the White Beet, 
