162 Root Crops 



that do not require the entire season in which to complete 

 their growth usually thrive best in spring and autumn. 



Eoot crops are of two general classes as respects the pur- 

 poses for which they are grown — fodder crops and oler- 

 aceous crops. The former are not intended here; neither 

 are sugar-beets. Most of the vegetable-gardening root 

 crops are able to secure their food from relatively unavail- 

 able combinations, and they generally use rather freely of 

 potash, although they are also heavy nitrogen and phos- 

 phorus feeders. To start them quickly, a light dressing of 

 available nitrogen compound is useful, particularly if the 

 roots are needed for a particular season. These crops, as 

 a class, are supposed to be more exhaustive of the plant- 

 food elements than the cereals and legumes. 



The earliness of the root crop in market-garden han- 

 dling is likely to make all the difference between success 

 and failure. The earliness is ■determined largely, accord- 

 ing to Voorhees, *'by the amount and availability of the 

 nitrogen and phosphoric acid applied." Frequent top- 

 dressings of soluble nitrates are advised. An application 

 of 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of the basic fertilizer (page 

 383) "is frequently employed at time of seeding, followed 

 by a top-dressing of 50 to 100 pounds of nitrate of soda 

 to the acre once every week or ten days, for at least three 

 or four weeks after the plants have well started." 



Probably the most laborious part of the growing of root 

 crops is the harvesting, particularly of the long late kinds. 

 This labor is much lessened by plowing out the roots. 

 Even if the roots are too deep for the plow, two or three 

 furrows may be thrown from either side of the row, and 

 the pulling is made easier. Usually, hand-pulling is 



