166 



Root Crops 



taken its place. The early beets lend themselves well to 

 the intensive practices of market-gardeners. 



The soil for beets, particularly for the early kinds, 

 should be mellow and quick, on the loamy order. Hard, 

 poorly-tilled and cloddy lands are not adapted. Fresh 



manure is usually 

 avoided, but well- 

 rotted manure is used 

 freely, and chemical 

 fertilizers are desir- 

 able. 



The plants should 

 be kept growing con- 

 tinuously. They 

 seldom completely re- 

 cover from a marked 

 check or setback, at 

 least not in time for 

 a dated early market. 

 Good frequent level 

 tillage is required. 



Beet seeds require 

 considerable moisture 

 to germinate. This is 

 because the " seeds " 

 are really fruit clusters 

 with hard shells, each cluster containing two or three small 

 seeds (Fig. 77). The husks or walls of the fruit are rela- 

 tively impervious to water. Therefore, if sown late in 

 the season special care should be taken to have a moist 

 seed-bed. For the reason that the fruits rather than the 



76. Young turnip-rooted 

 beets (X 



