BEETS. 



141 



treatment. There is no trouble about raising them with a 

 large percentage of sugar in any of the northern states, but 

 the drawbacks to its becoming a more general industry are the 

 very expensive machinery required to extract the sugar eco- 

 nomically on a large scale, the small m.argin of profit and the 

 low price the manufacturers have been willing to pay for the 

 beets. Sugar beets grow entirely below ground, which makes 

 them difficult to dig, and they do not grow to large size, seldom 

 weighing more than four pounds. The part of a beet above 

 ground does not contain much sugar. It is recommended to sow 

 about 18 lbs. of seed of sugar beets per acre. 



LEAF BEET OR SWISS CHARD. 



Native of Southern Europe. — Biennial. — This appears to 



be exactly the same plant as the 

 r- ~^ \ beet root, except that in its 



mon table beets. Among the best varieties is one known as the 

 Silvery Swiss chard. 



SPINACH. (Spinacia oleracea.) 



Properly a native of Western Asia. — An annual plant cul- 

 tivated for its leaves which form popular spring and early sum- 



11 



case cultivation has developed 

 the leaves instead of the root. 

 The botanical characteristics, es- 

 pecially those of the fruit seed 

 and flowers are precisely alike 

 in both plants. The root is 

 branched and not very fleshy, 

 while the leaves are large and 

 numerous, with the stalk and 

 midrib fleshy and very large. 

 The plants vary in color from 

 deep red to nearly white. The 

 fleshy leaf stalks are cooked and 

 served like asparagus. 



Figure 62 - Swiss Chard. 



Culture. — The plants are grown 

 in the same manner as the com- 



