86 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
c is then moved upon b thus : 
d is now loosened and ma¬ 
nured, and e set upon ic thus: 
c I I e u 
b | d | f | h 
Fig. 11. 
By thus continuing to move 
the upper soil along one or 
more widths of the spade at a 
time, the whole surface and subsoil are 
readily operated upon. Some begin by car¬ 
rying to the opposite side of the plot a double 
portion thus : a c 
In this casee is moved 
upon b; g upon d, and 
Fig. 12. so on. 
BASTARD TRENCHING, THREE SPITS DEEF. 
This is, perhaps, the most generally ap¬ 
plicable, and most useful of the different 
modes of trenching. 
a d b 
e I g I I 
b | d | f | | | 
a 
d | g 
1 j 1 m I 
b 1 
e | h 
1 k | n | 
c 1 
f N 
1 1 1 ° 1 
Fig. 13. 
Begin by car¬ 
rying a, d, b, to 
the right. Loosen 
c with the spade, 
mixing in manure. Move e upon c thus : 
remembering to thoroughly 
break up every portion of soil 
and manure as may be neces¬ 
sary. Next throw g upon e 
UN 
I h | 
f I 1 
Fig. 14. 
es or furrows are to be Fi &- 16 - 
filled with the portions a d b carried to the 
right at first. It will be seen that by this 
process the whole soil is thoroughly worked 
over and manured, without changing the rel¬ 
ative position of the upper, lower and middle 
portions. 
Two other methods may be pursued which 
are combinations of true and bastard trench¬ 
ing, and both of them often applicable. 
First —Suppose that the soil is good for 
the depth of two spades. In figure 13, after 
loosening c, throw g upon it, in the place 
marked b ; then throw e upon g in the place 
marked a. Then loosen f; puty in e, and h 
in d, and so on. By this plan the two upper 
portions change places, while the lower soil 
is loosened and manured, and is thus pre¬ 
pared for being brought to the surface by 
true trenching a year or two afterwards. 
Second: The two lower portions may be 
made to change places without sinking the 
surface soil. This is shown by fig. 17 : 
Begin by carrying a, b, c, d, 
to the right. Transfer e to c. 
Put / over it in the place 
marked b. Move g to a over/ 
in its new position thus 
Continue the operation by 
transferring h to the place of/ 
that is between e and i in fig. 
18. Put i over h and j over i. 
a 
d 1 g 
1 j 
b 
| e | h 
1 k 
c 
iMi 
|1 
Fig. 17. 
g 1 
1 J 
f 1 
1 h | k 
e 1 
NM 
Fig. 18. 
thus 
Other combinations 
than those given may 
be made. Bastard 
trenching is generally 
applicable, but the earth should be so moved 
as to bring to the surface every year, at 
least a little of the lower soil. 
g N 1 1 m 
f N 1 
k | k | n 
e | h j 
Fis. 
1 |1 |o 
19. 
BEETS 
Are among the first seeds to be planted in 
the open ground in the garden. This plant 
is a native of the South of Europe, and is 
now almost universally cultivated, either in 
the field or garden. It is highly esteemed, 
by most persons as a culinary vegetable 
though it is less nutricious and digestable 
than many others. It is very productive, 
and a few small beds will furnish an abun¬ 
dant supply for an ordinary family. 
Those in most common use are the Early 
Turnip, Early long Blood and Extra dark 
Blood. There are several varieties ol the 
Early Turnip, the Dark Blood, the Yellow 
and the Bassano, which is a very light red 
or scarlet and the best with which we are 
acquainted. A paper or two of Bassano 
beet seed should be put upon the memoran¬ 
dum for this month, if they are not already 
procured. They should be sown as soon as 
the frost is out of the ground, and sufficient¬ 
ly dry for working. It is a good plan to 
sow Radish seed in the drills with them, to 
mark the rows and to aid in their cultivation. 
The radishes will be out of the way before 
the beet roots begin to swell much, and their 
long tap roots are excellent to keep the soil 
loose. We make the drills fourteen inches 
apart, and about two inches deep. Where 
there is a market for the young plants for 
greens, the seed may be sown one inch 
apart in the drill and thinned out as they 
grow. If the young plants are not wanted for 
this purpose, it is better to sow them three 
inches apart, removing at least half of the 
plants before maturity. 
The Early Long Blood has the prefer¬ 
ence among gardeners, and this is the kind 
most frequently met with in the market. 
They are smooth, and regular in shape, and 
as they grow above ground a good deal they 
are easily pulled, and from this circumstance 
are sometimes called the lazy man’s beet. 
They are not equal in flavor to the turnip 
rooted varieties, but are much more pro¬ 
ductive. They mature a little later. 
The Extra Dark Blood is a still later 
variety. It is much darker in color, and is 
the kind usually selected for winter and 
spring use. If larger roots are preferred 
they should be sown farther apart, both in 
the row, and in the drill. Two and three 
feet a part are desirable for the largest roots. 
Medium sized roots are preferable for the 
market. The three kinds we have named 
are the principal varieties cultivated for this 
market. Those intended for Winter use 
should be sown about the first of June and 
later, as they will be more tender, and keep 
better than those sow n in the first part of 
the season Those designed for Winter use 
should be taken up before frost, the tops 
should be kept at as low a temperature as is 
possible without freezing. 
This vegetable having a tap root, requires 
a deep and thorough disintegration of the 
soil. We usually trench every Spring at. 
least two feet deep, working in a half cord of 
stable manure to a square rod of ground, 
taking the manure fresh from the barn cel¬ 
lar where it is in a fermenting state. This 
raises the temperature of the beds, and 
brings up the seed quicker. Some plant the 
seed in hills. They make a hole with a dib¬ 
ble about ten inches or a foot deep, and fill 
it two thirds full of horse, manure. The re¬ 
mainder is filled in with soil and the seed 
planted as usual. This is a slow process, 
but it brings beets very early. The seed 
germinates more surely if it is soaked a day 
in warm water before planting. 
PARSEEPS 
Have given to our language that excellent 
proverb “Smooth words butter no parsneps,” 
which illustrates the value of flattery, as 
well as furnishes a hint for the right mode of 
cooking. The parsnep is of slower growth, 
than most other roots, and demands the 
whole season'. They should be sown as 
soon as the ground can be worked in the 
Spring. Some even sow them in the Fall, 
with advantage. 
The Sugar or Hollow crown, and the large 
Dutch or Guernsey are the kinds in general 
cultivation. The first are better for table 
use, the latter for field culture, to be used 
for feeding to cattle. Seeds of the first va¬ 
riety have been distributed from the Patent 
Office, for a few years past, and those which 
we have tested in our garden, have given 
roots of excellent size and quality. 
The soil best adapted to this root is a 
deep rich sandy loam, but it may be grown 
in almost any ground with sufficient drain¬ 
ing and disintegration. We usually select ' 
the deepest and richest part of the garden, 
where the long tap roots can have free play. 
It is a common error to plant this thin 
scale seed too deep. A half inch is quite 
deep enough, and half that depth if we could 
have moisture enough would be better still. 
We usually sow with a brush seed sower, 
putting in with the seed fine ground unburned 
bones. This gives the seed an early start, 
and when the plants are well up, we thin 
them out to six inches in the drill. The 
drills are fourteen inches apart. They may 
be sown any time before the first of May, 
but the earlier they are in the ground the 
better. 
The parsnep deserves a much higher 
place than it holds in this country as an ar¬ 
ticle of food. It is highly nutritious, sweet, 
and palatable when properly cooked. A 
parsnep stew prepared with skill is a dish for 
an epicure. But few farmers’ families use 
them enough to acquire a taste for them, 
and the only months in which they break 
in upon the everlasting monotony of salt 
junk and potatoes, are March and April, 
when they are first dug. But they are as 
easily kept in the cellar, during the Winter, 
as any other root, and ought to be laid in 
in November as a part of the winter stores. 
They help make a variety and are highly 
relished, when one has acquired a taste for 
them. 
Cattle are fond of them, and they are 
profitable feed, both for making flesh and 
for milk. When cooked and mixed with 
meal, they make a very good diet for store 
pigs. This root should be cultivated exten¬ 
sively by our farmers as a field crop, for 
feeding cattle in the Winter and Spring. It 
