Tumbledown Farm .9 Acres (give or take an acre or two)

The Beet

Beta vulgaris.

THE Common Beet, sometimes termed the Red Beet, is a half-hardy biennial plant; and is cultivated for its large, succulent, sweet, and tender roots. These attain their full size during the first year, but will not survive the winter in the open ground. The seed is produced the second year; after the ripening of which, the plant perishes.

When fully developed, the beet-plant rises about four feet in height, with an angular, channelled stem; long, slender branches; and large, oblong, smooth, thick, and fleshy leaves. The flowers are small, green, and are either sessile, or produced on very short peduncles. The calyxes, before maturity, are soft and fleshy; when ripe, hard and wood­-like in texture. These calyxes, which are formed in small, united, rounded groups, or clusters, are of a brownish color,

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and about one fourth of an inch in diameter; the size, how­ever, as well as depth of color, varying, to some extent, in the different varieties. Each of these clusters of dried calyxes contains from two to four of the true seeds, which are quite small, smooth, kidney-shaped, and of a deep red­dish-brown color.

These dried clusters, or groups, are usually recognized as the seeds; about fifteen hundred of which will weigh one ounce. They retain their vitality from seven to ten years.

Soil and Fertilizers. -- The soil best adapted to the beet is a deep, light, well-enriched, sandy loam. When grown on thin, gravelly soil, the roots are generally tough and fibrous; and when cultivated in cold, wet, clayey localities, they are often coarse, watery, and insipid, worthless for the table, and comparatively of little value for agricultural purposes.

A well-digested compost, formed of barn-yard manure, loam, and salt, makes the best fertilizer. Where this is not to be obtained, guano, superphosphate of lime, or bone-dust, may be employed advantageously as a substitute. Wood­-ashes, raked or harrowed in just previous to sowing the seed, make an excellent surface-dressing, as they not only prevent the depredations of insects, but give strength and vigor to the young plants. The application of coarse, undigested, strawy manure, tends to the production of forked and misshapen roots, and should be avoided.

Propagation and Culture. -- Beets are always raised from seed. For early use, sowings are sometimes made in November; but the general practice is to sow the seed in April, as soon as the frost is out of the ground, or as soon as the soil can be worked. For use in autumn, the seed should be sown about the middle or 20th of May; and, for the winter supply, from the first to the middle of June. Layout the ground in beds five or six feet in width, and of a length proportionate to the supply required; spade or fork
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the soil deeply and thoroughly over; rake the surface smooth and even; and draw the drills across the bed, fourteen inches apart, and about an inch and a half in depth. Sow the seeds thickly enough to secure a plant for every two or three inches, and cover to the depth of the drills. Should the weather be warm and wet, the young plants will appear in seven or eight days. When they are two inches in height, they should be thinned to five or six inches apart; extract­ing the weaker, and filling vacant spaces by transplanting. The after-culture consists simply in keeping the plants free from weeds, and the earth in the spaces between the rows loose and open by frequent hoeings.

Taking the Crop. -- Roots, from the first sowings, will be ready for use early in July; from which time, until October, the table may be supplied directly from the garden. They should be drawn as fast as they attain a size fit for use; which will allow more time and space for the development of those remaining.

For winter use, the roots must be taken up before the occurrence of heavy frosts, as severe cold not only greatly impairs their quality, but causes them to decay at the crown.

In harvesting, avoid cutting or bruising the skin; and in removing the leaves, be careful not to cut or wound the crown. After being spread a few hours in the sun to dry, they should be packed in earth or sand, slightly moist, and stored out of reach of frost for the winter.

If harvested before receiving injury from cold, and properly packed, they will retain, in a good degree, their freshness and sweetness until the new crop is suitable for use.

Seed. -- To raise seed, select smooth and well-developed roots, having the form, size, and color by which the pure variety is distinguished; and, in April, transplant them eighteen inches or two feet apart, sinking the crowns to a level with the surface of' the ground. As the stalks increase
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in height, tie them to stakes for support. The plants will blossom in June and July, and the seeds will ripen in August.

In harvesting, cut off the plants near the ground, and spread them in a light and airy situation till they are suffi­ciently dried for threshing, or stripping off the seeds; after which the seeds should be exposed, to evaporate any remain­ing moisture.

An ounce of seed will sow from one hundred to one hun­dred and fifty feet of drill, according to the size of the variety; and about four pounds will be required for an acre.

Use.--Roots of medium size are generally to be preferred for table use. When their growth has been rapid and unchecked, they will be found succulent, free from fibre, and of good quality. The deepest or brightest colors are most esteemed.

The young plants make an excellent substitute for spinach; and the leaves of some of the kinds, boiled when nearly full grown, and served as greens, are tender and well-flavored.

Some of the larger varieties are remarkably productive, and are extensively cultivated for agricultural purposes. From a single acre of land in good condition, thirty or forty tons are frequently harvested; and exceptional crops are recorded of fifty, and even sixty tons. In France, the White Sugar-beet is largely employed for the manufacture of sugar--the amount produced during one year being estimated to exceed that annually made from the sugar-cane in the State of Lou­isiana.

For sheep, dairy-stock, and the fattening of cattle, experi­ence has proved the beet to be at once healthful, nutritious, and economical.

Varieties.--The varieties are quite numerous, and vary to a considerable extent in size, form, color, and quality. They are obtained by crossing, or by the intermixture of one kind with another. This often occurs naturally when two
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or more varieties are allowed to run to seed in close proxim­ity, but is sometimes performed artificially by transferring the pollen from the flower of a particular variety to the stigma of the flower of another.

The kinds now in cultivation are as follow; viz.:--

Bark-skinned. Vil. Oak Bark-Skinned.

Bark-skinned Beet.

Root produced entirely within the earth, broadest near the crown, and thence tapering regularly to a point;--average specimens meas­uring four inches in their greatest diameter, and about one foot in depth. Skin dark brown, thick, hard, and wrinkled, or stri­ated, sometimes reticulated or netted, much resembling the bark of some descrip­tions of trees; whence the name. Flesh very deep, purplish-red, circled, and rayed, with paler red, fine-grained, sugary, and tender. Leaves numerous, spreading, bright green, slightly stained with red; the leaf-stems and nerves bright purplish­-red.

An early and comparatively new French variety, of fine flavor, excellent for summer use, and, if sown as late as the second week in June, equally valuable for the table dur­ing winter. Not recommended for field culture.

Sow in rows fourteen inches apart, and thin to six inches apart in the rows.

Barrott's New Crimson. Thomp.

Root similar in form to the Castelnaudary, but somewhat larger, smooth and regular, and not apt to fork. Flesh dark crimson, fine-grained and tender. Leaf-stalks yellow.

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Bassano. Early Flat Bassano. Turnip-Rooted Bassano. Extra Early. Rouge Plate De Bassano. Vil.

Bassano Best.

Bulb flattened; six or seven inches in diameter by three or four inches in depth; not very regular or symmetrical, but often somewhat ribbed, and terminating in a small, slender tap-root. Skin of fine texture; brown above ground; be­low the surface, clear rose-red. Flesh white, circled or zoned with bright pink; not close-grained, but very sugary and well-flavored. Leaves numerous, erect, of a lively green color, forming many separate groups or tufts, covering the entire top, or crown of the root. Leaf­-stems short, greenish-white, washed or stained with rose.

An Italian variety, generally considered the earliest of garden-beets, being from seven to ten days earlier than the Early Blood Turnip­-rooted. The flesh, although much coarser than that of many other sorts, is tender, sweet, and of good quality. Roots from early sowings are, however, not suited for winter use; as, when overgrown, they almost invariably become too tough, coarse, and fibrous for table use. To have them in perfection during winter, the seed should not be sown till near the close of June.

In moist, favorable seasons, it succeeds well in compara­tively poor, thin soil.

Cultivate and preserve as directed for the Early Turnip­-rooted.

Cattell's Dwarf-Blood.

Root small, regularly tapering. Flesh deep blood-red. Leaves small, bright red, spreading, or inclined to grow horizontally. Quality good,-- similar to that of the Red Castelnaudary; which variety it much resembles in its general character.

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On account of its small size, it requires little space, and may be grown in rows twelve inches apart.

Cow-Horn Mangel Wurzel. Vil. Serpent-Like Beet. Cow-Horn Scarcity.

A sub-variety of the Mangel Wurzel, producing its roots almost entirely above ground; only a small portion growing within the earth. Root long and slender, two feet and a half in length, and nearly three inches in diameter, at its broadest part; often grooved or furrowed lengthwise, and almost invariably bent and distorted,--the effect either of the wind, or of the weight of its foliage. Flesh greenish white, circled with red at the centre. Leaves of medium size, green, erect; the leaf-stems and nerves pale red or rose color.

It derives its different names from its various contorted forms; sometimes resembling a horn, and often assuming a shape not unlike that of a serpent.

The variety is much esteemed and extensively cultivated in some parts of Europe, although less productive than the White Sugar or Long Red Mangel Wurzel.

Early Mangel Wurzel. Early Scarcity. Disette Hative. Vil.

Aside from its smaller size, this variety much resembles the Common Red Mangel Wurzel. Root contracted towards the crown, which rises two or three inches above the surface of the soil, and tapering within the earth to a regular cone. Skin purplish rose, deeper colored than that of the last named. Flesh white, circled or zoned with pale red. Leaves spreading, green; the leaf-stems rose-colored.

It is remarkable for the regular and symmetrical form of its roots, which grow rapidly, and, if pulled while young, are tender, sweet, and well flavored. Planted the last of June, it makes a table-beet of more than average quality for winter use.

When sown early, it attains a comparatively large size,
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and should have a space of twenty inches between the rows; but when sown late, fifteen inches between the rows, and six inches between the plants in the rows, will afford ample space for their development.

Early Blood Turnip-Rooted. Early Turnip Beet.

The roots of this familiar variety are produccd almost entirely within the earth, and measure, when of average size, from four inches to four and a half in depth, and about four inches


Early Blood Turnip-Rooted.

in diameter. Form turbinate, flattened, smooth, and symmetrical. Neck small, lap-root very slender, and regularly tapering. Skin deep purplish red. Flesh deep blood-red, sometimes circled and rayed with paler red, remarkably sweet and tender. Leaves erect, not very numerous, and of a deep-red color, sometimes inclining to green; but the stems and nerves always of a deep brilliant red.

The Early Blood Turnip Beet succeeds well from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico; and in almost every section of the United States is more esteemed, and more generally cultivated for early use, than any other variety. Among market-gardeners, it is the most popular of the summer beets. It makes a rapid growth, comes early to the table, and, when sown late, keeps well, and is nearly as valuable for use in winter as in summer and autumn.

In common with most of the table sorts, the turnip-rooted beets are much sweeter and more tender if pulled before they are fully grown; and consequently, to have a continued supply in their greatest perfection, sowings should be made from the beginning of April to the last of June, at intervals of two or three weeks.

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The roots, especially those intended for seed, should be harvested before severe frosts, as they are liable to decay when frozen at the crown, or even chilled.

Sow in drills fourteen inches apart; and when two inches in height, thin out the plants to six inches apart in the drills. An acre of land in good cultivation will yield from seven to eight hundred bushels.

German Red Mangel Wurzel. Disette D'Allemagne. Vil.

An improved variety of the Long Red Mangel Wurzel, almost regularly cylindrical, and terminating at the lower extremity in an obtuse cone. It grows much out of ground, the neck or crown is comparatively small, it is rarely forked or deformed small side roots, and is generally much neater and more regular than the Long Red. Size very large; well-developed specimens measure from eighteen to twenty inches in length, and seven or eight inches in diameter. Flesh white, with red zones or rings; more colored than that of the last named. Leaves erect, green; the stems and nerves washed or stained with rose-red.

For agricultural purposes, this variety is superior to the Long Red, as it is larger, more productive and more easily harvested.

German Yellow Mangel Wurzel. Green Mangel Wurzel. Jaune D'Allemagne. Vil.

Root produced half above ground, nearly cylindrical for two-thirds its length, terminating rather bluntly, and often branched or deformed by small side roots. Size large;--when well grown, measuring sixteen or eighteen inches deep, six or seven inches in diameter, and weighing from twelve to fifteen pounds. Skin above ground, greenish brown; below, yellow. Flesh white, occasionally zoned or marked with yellow. Leaves of medium size, rather numerous, erect, very pale, or yellowish green; the stems and ribs light green.

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While young and small, the roots are tender and well-flavored; but this is a field rather than a table beet. In point of productiveness, it differs little from the Common Long Red, and should be cultivated as directed for that variety.

Half Long Blood. Dwarf Blood. Fine Dwarf Red. Early Half Long Blood. Rouge Nain. Vil.

Root produced within the earth, of medium size, or rather small; -- usually measuring about three inches in thickness near the crown, and tapering regularly to a point; the length being ten or twelve inches. Skin smooth, very deep purplish-red. Flesh deep blood-red, circled and rayed


Half Long Blood

with paler red, remarkably fine grained, of firm texture, and very sugary. Leaves small, bright red, blistered on the surface, and spreading horizontally. Leaf-stems short.

An excellent, half-early, garden variety, sweet, and well flavored, a good keeper, and by many considered superior to the Common Long Blood. When full grown, it is still tender and fine-grained, and much less stringy and fibrous than the last named, at an equally advanced stage of growth. It may be classed as one of the best table-beets, and is well worthy cultivation.

Improved Long Blood. Long Smooth Blood.

This is an improved variety of the Common Long Blood, attaining a much larger size, and differing in its form, and manner of growth. When matured in good soil, its length is from eighteen inches to two feet; and its diameter, which is retained for more than half its length, is from four to five inches. It is seldom symmetrical in its form; for, though it has but few straggling side-roots, it is almost invariably bent and distorted. Skin smooth, very deep or blackish purple. Flesh
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dark blood-red, sweet, tender, and fine grained, while the


Improved Long Blood.

root is young and small, but liable to be tough and fibrous when full grown. Leaves small, erect , red, and not very numerous. Leaf-stems blood-red.

This beet, like the Common Long Blood, is a popular winter sort, retaining its color well when boiled. It is of larger size than the last named, grows more above the surface of the ground, and has fewer fibrous and accidental small side-roots. While young, it compares favorably with the old variety; but, when full grown, can hardly be said to be much superior. To have the variety in its greatest. perfection for winter use, the seed should not be sown before the 10th of June; as the roots of this, as well as those of nearly all the table varieties, are much more tender and succulent when very rapidly grown, and of about two thirds their full size.

Sow in drills fifteen inches apart, and thin to eight inches apart in the drills; or sow on ridges eighteen inches apart.

Long Blood. Common Long Blood.

The roots of this familiar variety are long, tapering, and comparatively slender; the size varying according to the depth and richness of the soil. Skin dark purple, sometimes purplish-black. Flesh deep blood-red, very fine grained and sugary, retaining its color well after being boiled. Leaves rather numerous, of medium size, erect, deep purplish-red; the leaf-stems blood-red.

One of the most popular of winter beets; but, for late keeping, the seed should not be sown before the middle of June, as the roots, when large, are frequently tough and fibrous.

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The Improved Long Blood is a variety of this, and has, to a considerable extent, superseded it in the vegetable garden; rather, it would seem, on account of its greater size, than from any real superiority as respects its quality or keeping properties.

Long Red Mangel Wurzel. Red Mangel Wurzel. Marbled Field Beet. Law.

Root fusiform, contracted at the crown, which, in the genuine variety, rises six or eight inches above the surface of the ground. Size large; when grown in good soil often measuring eighteen inches in length, and six or seven inches in diameter. Skin below ground purplish-rose; brownish-red where exposed to the air and light. Leaves green; the stems and nerves washed or stained with rose-red. Flesh white, zoned and clouded with different shades of red.

The Long Red Mangel Wurzel is hardy, keeps well, grows rapidly, is very productive, and in this country is more generally cultivated for agricultural purposes than any other variety. According to Lawson, the marbled or mixed color of its flesh seems particularly liable to vary; in some specimens, it is almost of a uniform red; while, in others, the red is scarcely, and often not at all, perceptible. These variations in color, are, however, of no importance as respects the quality of the roots.

The seed may be sown from the middle of April to the last of May. If sown in drills, they should be at least eighteen inches apart, and the plants should be thinned to ten inches in the drills. If sown on ridges, the sowing should be made in double rows; the ridges being three and a half or four feet apart, and the rows fifteen inches apart. The yield varies with the quality of the soil and the state of cultivation; thirty and thirty-five tons being frequently harvested from an acre.

While young, the roots arc tender and well-flavored, and are sometimes employed for table use.
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Long White Green-Top Mangel Wurzel. Green-Top White Sugar. Long White Mangel Wurzel. Disette Blanche A Collet Verte. Vil.

An improved variety of the White Sugar Beet. Root produced much above ground, and of very large size; if well grown, measuring nearly six inches in diameter, and eighteen inches in depth,--the diameter often retained for nearly two thirds the length. Skin green, where exposed to light and air; below ground, white. Leaves green, rather large, and not so numerous as those of the White Sugar.

Productive and superior to the last named for agricultural purposes; the quality being equally good, and the yield much greater.

Long Yellow Mangel Wurzel. Jaune Grosse. Vil.

Long Yellow Mangel Wurzel.

Root somewhat fusiform, contracted towards the crown, which rises six or eight inches above the surface of the ground. Size remarkably large; when grown in deep rich soil, often measuring twenty inches in length, and five or six inches in thickness. Skin yellow, bordering on orange-color. Flesh pale yellow, zoned or circled with white, not close-grained but sugary. Leaves comparatively large, pale green; the stems and nerves yellow; the nerves paler.

The variety is one of the most productive of the field-beets; but the roots are neither smooth nor symmetrical, a majority being forked or much branched.

In the vicinity of Paris it is extensively cultivated, and is much esteemed by dairy farmers, on account of the rich color which it imparts to milk when fed to dairy-stock. Com-

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pared with the German Yellow, the roots of this variety are longer, not so thick, more tapering; and the flesh is of a much deeper color. It has also larger foliage.

Olive-shaped Mangel Wurzel. Red. Red Oval Mangel Wurzel.

Recently introduced. Bulb ovoid; intermediate in form between the Red Globe and common Red Mangel Wurzel; smooth and symmetrical. Flesh solid, somewhat variable in color, usually white, shaded or zoned with red, but sometimes with very little coloring. It is hardy, grows vigorously, and is said to yield quite as much to the acre as either of the last-named varieties.

Olive-shaped Mangel Wurzel. Yellow. Yellow Oval Mangel Wurzel.

A recently introduced sort, like the foregoing, which it resembles in form, hardiness, and productiveness. Flesh solid, white, zoned or clouded with different shades of yellow.

Pine-Apple Short-Top. Hov. Mag.

Root of medium size, fusiform. Skin deep purplish-red. Flesh very deep blood-red, fine-grained, as sweet as the Bassano, tender, and of excellent quality for table use. Leaves short and few in number, reddish-green; leaf-stems and nerves blood-red.

In its foliage as well as in the color of' the root, it strongly resembles some of the Long Blood varieties; but it is not so large, is much finer in texture, and superior in flavor. It is strictly a garden or table beet, and, whether for fall or winter use, is well deserving of cultivation.

Red Castelnaudary. Trans.

This beet derives its name from a town in the province of Languedoc in France, where the soil is particularly adapted to the growth of these vegetables, and where this variety, which is so much esteemed in France for its nut-like flavor, was originally produced.

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The roots grow within the earth. The leaves are thickly clustered around the crown, spreading on the ground. The longest of the leaf-stems do not exceed three inches: these and the veins of the leaves are quite purple, whilst the leaves themselves are green, with only a slight stain of purple. The root is little more than two inches in diameter at the top, tapering gradually to the length of nine inches. The flesh, which is of a deep purple, and exhibits dark rings, preserves its fine color when boiled, is very tender and sweet, and presents a delicate appearance when cut in slices.

Being small in its whole habit, it occupies but little space in the ground, and may be sown closer than other varieties usually are.

Not generally known or much cultivated in this country.

Red Globe Mangel Wurzel. Betterave Globe Rouge. Vil.

Root nearly spherical, but tapering to pear-shaped at the base; nearly one-third produced above ground. Size large; well-grown specimens measuring seven or eight inches in diameter, and nine or ten inches in depth. Skin smooth, and of a rich purplish rose-color below ground; brown above the surface where exposed to the sun. Flesh white, rarely circled with rose-red. Leaves pale green, or yellowish green; the stems and ribs or nerves sometimes veined with red.

This variety is productive, keeps well, and, like the Yellow Globe, is well adapted to hard and shallow soils. It is usually cultivated for agricultural purposes, although the yield is comparatively less than that of the last named.

In moist soils, the Yellow Globe succeeds best; and, as its quality is considered superior, it is now more generally cultivated than the Red.

Sutton's Large Yellow Globe Mangel Wurzel.

An improved variety of the Yellow Globe Mangel Wurzel, recommended for size, symmetry of form, and solidity. It is also hardy,

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yields abundantly, and appears to be adapted to all descriptions of soil.

White Globe Mangel Wurzel.

A sub-variety of the Yellow and Red Globe, which, in form and manner of growth, it much resembles. Skin, above ground, green; below, white. Leaves green. Flesh white and sugary; but, like the foregoing sorts, not fine-grained, or suited for table use.

Productive, easily harvested, excellent and profitable for farm purposes, and remarkably well adapted for cultivation in hard, shallow soil.

White Sugar. White Silesian. Betterave Blanche. Vil.

Root fusiform, sixteen inches in length, six or seven inches in its greatest diameter, contracted towards the crown, thickest just below the surface of the soil, but nearly retaining its size for half the depth, and thence tapering regularly to a point. Skin white, washed with green or rose-red at the crown. Flesh white, crisp, and very sugary. Leaves green; the leaf-stems clear green, or green stained with light red, according to the variety.

White Sugar Beet

The White Sugar Beet is quite extensively grown in this country, and is employed almost exclusively as feed for stock; although the young roots are sweet, tender, and well flavored, and in all respects superior for the table to many garden varieties. In France, it is largely cultivated for the manufacture of sugar and for distillation.

Of the two sub-varieties, some cultivators prefer the

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Green-top; others, the Rose-colored, or Red-top. The latter is the larger, more productive, and the better keeper; but the former is the more sugary. It is, however, very difficult to preserve the varieties in a pure state; much of the seed usually sown containing, in some degree, a mixture of both.

It is cultivated in all respects as the Long Red Mangel Wurzel, and the yield per acre varies from twenty to thirty tons.

White Turnip-rooted.

A variety of the Early Turnip-rooted Blood, with green leaves and white flesh; the size and form of the root, and season of maturity, being nearly the same. Quality tender, sweet, and well flavored; but, on account of its color, not so marketable as the last named.

Wyatt's Dark Crimson. Whyte's Dark Crimson. Rouge De Whyte. Vil.

Root sixteen inches long, five inches in diameter, fusiform, and somewhat angular in consequence of broad and shallow longitudinal furrows or depressions. Crown conical, brownish. Skin smooth, slate-black. Flesh deep purplish-red, circled and rayed with yet deeper shades of red, fine-grained, and remarkably sugary. Leaves deep red, shaded with brownish-red; those of the centre, erect; those of the outside, spreading or horizontal.

The variety is not early, but of fine quality; keeps remarkably well, and is particularly recommended for cultivation for winter and spring use. Much esteemed in England.

Yellow Castelnaudary. Trans. Vil.

Root produced within the earth, broadest at the crown, where its diameter is nearly three inches, and tapering gradually to a point; the length being about eight inches. Skin orange-yellow. Flesh clear yellow, with paler zones or rings. Leaves spreading, those on the

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outside being on stems about four inches in length; the inner ones are shorter, numerous, of a dark green color, and waved on the edges: the leaf-stems are green, rather than yellow.

An excellent table-beet, being tender, yet firm, and very sweet when boiled, although its color is not so agreeable to the eye.

Yellow Globe Mangel Wurzel. Orange Globe Mangel Wurzel. Betterave Jaune Globe. Vil.

This is a globular-formed beet, measuring about ten inches in diameter, and weighing ten or twelve pounds; about one half of the root growing above ground. Skin yellow, where it is covered by the soil; and yellowish-brown above the surface, where exposed to light and air. Flesh white, zoned or marked with yellow, close-grained and sugary. Leaves not large or numerous, rather erect, green; the stems and ribs paler, and sometimes yellowish.

The Yellow Globe is one of the most productive of all the varieties; and, though not adapted to table use, is particularly excellent for stock of all descriptions, as the roots are not only remarkably sugary, but contain a considerable portion of albumen. It retains its soundness and freshness till the season has far advanced, does not sprout so early in spring as many others, and is especially adapted for cultivation in hard, shallow soil.

The yield varies from thirty to forty tons per acre, according to soil, season, and culture; although crops are recorded of fifty tons and upwards.

Yellow Globe Mangel Wurzel

Sow from the last of April to the last of May; but early sowings succeed best. If sown in drills, they should be made

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twenty inches apart, and the plants should be thinned to ten inches apart in the drills; if sown on ridges, sow in double rows, making the ridges three feet and a half, and the rows sixteen inches apart. On account of its globular form, the crop can be harvested with great facility by the use of a common plough.

Yellow Turnip-rooted.

A sub-variety of the Blood Turnip-rooted, differing principally in color, but to some extent also in its form, which is less compressed. Leaves large, yellowish-green; the leaf-stems and nerves yellow. Flesh yellow, comparatively close-grained, sweet and tender.

Not much cultivated on account of its color; the red varieties being preferred for table use.