160 GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



little until the plants come up ; being sown later they will 

 keep much better, and indeed can be had in pretty good 

 condition through the entire winter. For this sowing, the 

 London blood beet is the best. A few radish seed may 

 be sown with them ; after they come up they must be 

 thinned to ten inches apart, kept clean, and frequently 

 hoed — keeping the soil light and mellow. Any vacant 

 spaces in the row can be iilled by transplanting. About 

 the middle of l^^ovember, or when there is danger of a hard 

 frost, the roots can be taken up, dried a little and stored away 

 in casks with layers of dry sand, where they will keep in 

 good condition until spring. The mangel wurtzel beet is 

 much cultivated in some countries for feeding stock, and is 

 very good for the table when young and tender, but in our 

 long season it loses its sweetness before winter. Here 

 the sweet-potato, ruta-baga and other turnips are more 

 promising. 



For *S'eed^.— Select a few of the finest looking plants, 

 smooth and well-shaped. Plant the different varieties as 

 far apart as possible, indeed it is better to save the seed 

 of only one kind the same year for fear of intermixture 

 and degeneracy. Keep them free from weeds and tie the 

 seed stalks to stakes to support them. Gather and dry 

 the seed as soon as ripe and put away in paper bags. 

 Keep dry and it will be good for ten years. 



C/ie.— The young and tender tops are an excellent sub- 

 stitute for spinach. When thinned out, the young beets 

 pulled up, if cooked tops and bottoms, are very sweet and 

 and delicate. 



When well grown they afford an agreeable variety to 

 our table vegetables, being tender, sweet, and consider- 

 ably nourishing. They also make an excellent pickle. 

 If eaten moderately, they are wholesome, but in too large 

 a quantity produce flatulence and indigestion. The leaveg 



