82 
Garden Work 
season and locality. Again, care must also be exercised 
not to break the roots when getting them up. A trench 
should be dug out to the depth of the roots, for the first 
row, and the roots taken up carefully, afterwards digging 
over the soil into the trench from the next row, lifting 
it, and so on. In taking off the leaves they must not 
be cut too close to the crown, or the plant will bleed and 
so lose its colour. They should be stored in sand, as 
advised for Carrots and Parsnips, in a cool shed from 
which frost can be excluded, Birds are particularly fond 
of the sweet young leaves of the Beet. When the seed 
is sown, therefore, black cotton should be stretched over 
the rows about i|- or 2 in. above the soil. This is a 
simple but sure preventive. 
Varieties — 
Dobbie’s Purple, long. 
Sutton’s Blood Red, long. 
Veitch’s Red, long. 
Dobbie’s Selected Globe, round. 
THE RADISH 
This is another root crop which is extensively grown, 
especially for spring use, because at that time of the year 
there is sufficient moisture in the surface soil, and also 
sufficient heat, to cause them to grow rapidly. They are 
then crisp and sweet, whereas, later in the season, when it 
is warm and the surface soil becomes more or less dry, 
they are pithy and hot. They grow well on almost any 
soil during spring, and can be sown either broadcast or 
in drills i^- in. deep. The seed should be sown thinly, 
and no thinning will be required, as by pulling up the 
