122 | ASSEMBLY 
The Dark Red Egyptian beet deserves more than a passing notice. 
It was the earliest variety, being fit for use June 20, and is not sur- 
passed in quality. With the exception of the tap root, which is very 
slender and clearly defined, it grows above ground, and where the plants 
were not thinned, the bulb-shaped portion of the root was frequently 
crowded upward to the height of two inches, being connected with the 
soil only by the elongated tap root. It has been pronounced “ not very 
productive,” but our experience would indicate that on fertile soil with 
the plants allowed to grow thickly in the row, it would hardly be sur- 
passed in productiveness by any of the garden beets, ‘The root cooks 
very sweet and tender, is finely colored and continues edible until 
autumn. ‘The beet seed was planted in rows two feet apart and sixty 
feet long ; one row of each variety. Weeds were kept down with the 
wheel hoe, those in the row being pulled by hand and the plants thinned 
when sufficiently large for table use to three inches apart in the row. 
The Swiss Chard or Silver Beet belongs to Beta Cicla, a different 
botanical species from the other varieties, and is grown for the leaves, 
which are used as greens, or the stems and midribs are cooked and 
served like asparagus. ‘These were fit for use after June 20 through- 
out the summer, and were pronounced quite superior as greens. 
Samples of several varieties of so-called ornamental beets were also 
grown. Their broad showy petioles and midribs, variously and often 
brilliantly colored, with beautifully crimpled green or purple leaves, 
gave them a unique appearance and attracted much attention from 
visitors. ‘The more showy varieties might be grown with fine effect as 
a remote border in the flower garden, but the foliage is rather coarse 
for use in the foreground. 
CARROTS. 
Hight varieties of carrot were planted April 19 in soil prepared as 
for onions. ‘The cultivation was the same as given to the beet, the 
plants being thinned in the row June 20 to three inches apart. The 
varieties with the statistics noted were as follows: 

Yield, one Average 

VARIETY. Vegetated. | Days. row sixty weight of 
feet long, root 
| Lbs. Uz, 
Harper deo Pre eee oe May 8 19 853 7 
Extra Early Forcing......... May 8 19 7632 8 
| FN aid Be) vege Da Pesan Coon ara Fy May 9 20 96 174 
Half Long Red Pointed...... May 9 20 1043 16 
Half Long Carenton..... ... May 8 19 V4 10 
Half Long Stump-rooted.....]| May 8 19 1144 133 
Tong Grange. gadis =| sige +l. May 9 20 124} 14 
Tong White). pia. ste +. « May 8 19 1534 17 

The Extra Karly Forcing and the Karly Horn, which have a striking 
resemblance to each other, were the earliest two sorts. Much differ- 
ence was noted in amount of foliage of the different varieties, it bein 
very luxuriant in the Half Long Red Pointed and Long White, an 
very scanty in the Half Long Carenton and Extra Harly Forcing. 
