Beet 



279 



be allowed to mature in the frames, or in special cases 

 they may be transplanted into beds, although trans- 

 planting is rarely done, as it does not pay. For home 

 use, two or three rows fifty feet long, the seeds being 

 sown at intervals extending over a month, should give 

 a sufficient supply for the spring and early summer. 

 -Similar sowings may be made late in the summer or 

 early in the fall for autumn and early winter use. The 



Fig. 63. Seedlings of beet. Natural size 



firmest and best roots may be stored for winter in pits 

 or in the cellar in boxes of earth or moss. 



Young beets are much used for greens. They are 

 rarel}^ grown especially for this purpose, but the seed 

 is sown thick and the thinnings are sold in bunches or 

 in small packages. The whole plant, root and top, is thus 

 used as a pot-herb. There are certain kinds of beetii 

 that produce thick leaves rather than roots, but these 

 are essentially leaf crops and are discussed under that 

 head. See Chard. 



Early beets are usually sold in bunches of about six, 



