THE FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA
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d with dough, they make a wholesome bread; but, for this purpose, the white or yellow rooted sorts are preferred. The roots of all the varieties are better baked than boiled."--_M'Int._
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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
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lourishing better in wet, heavy soil, than any other variety. SHORT WHITE. Blanche des Vosges. _Vil._ Root obtusely conical, seven or eight inches long, by about four inches in diam
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oses. PURPLE. _Thomp._ _Vil._ This variety differs little from the White, except in color; the bulb being purple, and the leaf-stems and nerves also tinged with purple. Like the Whit
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of the parent stock, the seeds will produce numerous varieties, some white, some dark, in color, with tubers of different forms, round, oblong, and kidney-shaped, and varying greatly i
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ut the middle of September, rarely producing seed or blossoms; tubers white, of medium size, round; skin rough or netted; flesh white, comparatively dry, and well flavored. It yields ab
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f the Gray Turnip-rooted; skin dull black, rough, and wrinkled; flesh white, solid, crisp, and piquant; leaves of the size of those of the Gray Turnip-rooted. Season intermediate betwee
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the best of all varieties for growing for feeding stock. GREEN-TOP WHITE. Bulb turbinate, smooth, and symmetrical. The skin above ground is of a fine, clear, pea-green; often browne
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ecommended as the best red Sweet Potato for Northern culture. LARGE WHITE. Patate-blanche of the French. Tubers from six to ten inches in length,--thickest at the middle, where they
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-brown. Below the surface of the soil, the skin is of a dull or dirty white. Flesh white, moderately fine, tender, and of a sugary flavor. Half early. The variety has some resemblance
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llection of leaves, and is about four feet in height. The flowers are white, with a stripe of red, and are produced in terminal, globular groups, or umbels; the seeds are black, irregul
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the ground. They attain their full size by September. SILVER-SKIN. White Portugal, of New England. Bulb of medium size, flattened,--average specimens measuring about three inches in
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e top is deeper colored. GIANT PURPLE-TOP. Dutch. Red-top. Sprout white; the top, as it breaks ground, purple; size very large, sometimes measuring an inch and three-fourths in diam
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hes; skin prickly, green,--at the blossom-end, often paler, or nearly white,--brownish-yellow when ripe; flesh white, seedy, tender, and well flavored, but less crispy or brittle than t
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with the above description, though known by different names, as the "White," "Gray," "Black," "Prescott," &c. Much esteemed in France, and extensively grown by market-gardeners in the
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ODELL'S LARGE WHITE. _W. D. Brinckle._ Size very large, sometimes weighing sixty pounds; form round; skin gray, with fine green
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four feet apart. Three plants will be sufficient for a hill. EARLY WHITE BUSH SCOLLOPED. White Pattypan. Cymbling. White Summer Scolloped. Pattison Blanc. _Vil._ This is a sub-vari
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onsiderable extent with a gray netting. Flesh very deep yellow; seeds white. It is used only in its full-grown or ripe state, in which it will keep for several months; and even during
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airy, or hispid, on the nerves and borders. The leaf-stems are nearly white. The variety produces small tufts, or collections of leaves, which are excellent for fodder, and which may b
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A fine, white, early autumn variety, much grown about Edinburgh. GRANGE'S EARLY CAULIFLOWER BROCCOLI. _M'Int._ Grange's
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the border, and comparatively smooth on the surface; nerves greenish-white. The plants of the true variety have short stalks, occupy but little space, and seldom fail to produce a well
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"It is not size that constitutes a good Cauliflower, but its fine, white, or creamy color, its compactness, and what is technically called its 'curdy' appearance, from its resemblanc
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y cabbaged. YELLOW CURLED SAVOY. _Thomp._ Large Late Yellow Savoy. White Savoy. Dwarf, middle-sized, round; leaves pale-green at first, but quite yellow in winter; the heart is not
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e into ropes and cordage, but also into sewing-thread, and beautiful, white, linen-like cloth of very superior quality. It does not, however, appear that its cultivation for this purpos
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ck, and fleshy. A hardy and productive sort, similar to the Yellow or White Sorrel-leaved, but differing in the deeper color of its stalks and leaves. SUMMER OR ROUND-LEAVED SPINACH.
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es from two to three feet in height; the flowers are small, yellowish-white, and are produced in umbels, or flat, spreading groups, at the extremities of the branches; the seeds are sma
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e root, or bulb, is the part of the plant eaten: the flesh of this is white, and comparatively tender, with the flavor of the stalks of Common Celery, though generally less mild and del
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stalk long, narrow, and pointed; the flowers are comparatively large, white, or rose-colored, and produced in erect, terminal clusters; the seeds are of a brown color, small, oblong, sh
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the plants in the rows. WHITE CURLED OR EVER-BLANCHED ENDIVE. _Vil._ Leaves pale yellowish-green, nearly white when young, ten inches long
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lor; diameter fourteen inches; weight twelve to fifteen ounces; seeds white. This is a crisp and tender lettuce, though sometimes slightly bitter. It is not early, and soon shoots up t
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he Alphange or Florence Cos; green, washed with brown; pointed; seeds white. The plant sends out numerous side-shoots, or suckers; and sometimes produces several distinct heads: these,
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t linear, glaucous-green, fleshy; flowers in terminal umbels,--small, white, or yellowish-white; the seeds are oblong, yellowish, and, though somewhat larger, resemble those of Fennel,-
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, and supports a solitary bell-shaped flower, the petals of which are white, finely lined or striped with purple; the seed-vessels are of an oblong form, five-angled, and, when ripe, bu
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ading corymbs; the seeds are small, slightly curved, and of a grayish-white color. HOARY-LEAVED COSTMARY. _Loud._ A variety with deeply divided and hoary leaves, less fragrant than t
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ed at the ends, and resemble those of Sweet Marjoram; the flowers are white, and are put forth in July and August, in spikelets about two inches in length; the seeds ripen in September.
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hen bruised, emit a strong, pleasant, mint-like odor; the flowers are white, and are produced in terminal, globular heads; the seeds are quite small, of a deep-brownish color, and retai
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s and a half long, slightly curved, pale-green while young, yellowish-white when ripe, and contain five seeds. If planted early in the season, the variety will blossom in seven weeks,
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oad. They are pale-green at first; and afterwards change to yellowish-white, tinted or washed with bright pink. At maturity they are dusky-drab, sometimes clouded or shaded with purple,
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-green, luxurious foliage, distinguish the variety from all others. WHITE FLAGEOLET. From sixteen to eighteen inches high, of strong and branching habit. Flowers white; pods five inc
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n the process of cooking, is by some considered an objection; and the White Cranberry, though perhaps less prolific, is preferred. As a shelled-bean, it is of good quality in its green
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near the middle of September till destroyed by frost. The seeds are white or dull yellowish-white, broad-kidney-shaped, much flattened, five-eighths of an inch long, and nearly half a
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potted and marbled with black. LARGE LENTIL. _Law._ Flowers small, white, generally two, but sometimes three, on each peduncle; the pods are three-fourths of an inch long, half an in
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better flavored. BRITISH QUEEN. _Cot. Gard._ Hair's Defiance. Tall White Mammoth. Erin's Queen. The plant is of a showy and robust habit of growth, from six to seven feet high, some
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of the same pod,--the produce of a plant found in a crop of the Dwarf White Knight's Marrows, to which class it properly belongs. It is, without doubt, one of the most valuable acquisit
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e Blue Cimeter, and contain seven or eight very large peas. Ripe seed white, large, and unevenly compressed. This is a quite distinct and useful pea; an abundant bearer; and the pods a
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DOUBLE-FLOWERING CAMOMILE. A variety of the foregoing, with large, white, double flowers. The leaves are of the same form, but milder in their odor and taste. It is equally hardy wit
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oom, when it first appears, is of a rounded or button-like form, of a white color, and apparently rests on the surface of the ground. When fully developed, "the stem is solid, two or th
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pastures. Its height is about four inches. It is distinguished by its white, cylindrical, hollow, or solid, smooth stem; its cap is of a pale-brown or gray color, nearly spherical, holl
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g to the top, which is often more or less sharply pointed; the cob is white; the kernels are long and slender, angular, sharply pointed at the outward extremity, as well as to some exte
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ts pods; those of all other sorts being erect. TALL OR GIANT OKRA. White-podded. Stem five to six feet in height; pods erect, sharply tapering to a point, eight to ten inches in len
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ght; leaves large, but narrower than those of the Large Bell; flowers white, and of large size,--usually an inch and a half in diameter; fruit sometimes erect, but generally drooping.
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owers are yellow, in branching groups, or clusters; the fruit is red, white, or yellow, and exceedingly variable in size and form; the seeds are lens-shaped, yellowish-white, or pale-gr
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ver exhibit the rambling, recumbent character of the Common Tomato. WHITE TOMATO. Plant similar in habit to the Large Red; fruit large, generally ribbed, often irregular, but sometim
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r's Large Pale Scarlet, 26. Flander's Pale-red, 26. Green-top White, 30. Half-long Red, 25. James's Scarlet, 28. Long Lemon, 27. Long Orange, 26. Long Red, 2
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aded, 140. Underground, 136. Wethersfield Large Red, 134. White Florence, 141. White Globe, 140. White Lisbon, 141. White Nocera, 132. White Portugal, 137--1
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Variegated, 447. Tare, 558. Summer, 559. White, 558. Winter, 559. Tarragon, 400. Tetragonia expansa, 295. Thlaspi Bursa Pastoris, 303. Thous
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THE
FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES
OF
AMERICA;
CONTAINING
FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF NEARLY ELEVEN HUNDRED SPECIES AND VARIETIES; WITH
DIRECTIONS FOR PROPAGATION, CULTURE, AND USE.
BY FEARING BURR, JR.
ILLUSTRATED.
BOSTON: CROSBY AND NICHOLS,
117, WASHINGTON STREET.
1863.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863,
BY FEARING BURR, JR.,
In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
BOSTON:
PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON, 5, WATER STREET
* * * * *
TO
HON. ALBERT FEARING,
President of the Hingham Agricultural and Horticultural Society,
WHOSE EARNEST LABORS AND LIBERAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE CAUSE OF
HUMANITY HAVE ENDEARED HIS NAME TO THE AGED POOR AND TO
ORPHAN CHILDREN, AND WHOSE ACTIVE SERVICES HAVE
EXERTED SO BENEFICIAL AN INFLUENCE ON AGRICULTURAL
PURSUITS IN HIS NATIVE TOWN,
This Volume is gratefully and respectfully Dedicated
BY THE AUTHOR.
* * * * *
PREFACE.
Though embracing all the directions necessary for the successful
management of a Vegetable Garden, the present volume is offered to the
public as a manual or guide to assist in the selection of varieties,
rather than as a treatise on cultivation. Through the standard works of
American authors, as well as by means of the numerous agricultural and
horticultural periodicals of our time, all information of importance
relative to the various methods of propagation and culture, now in
general practice, can be readily obtained.
But, with regard to the characteristics which distinguish the numerous
varieties; their difference in size, form, color, quality, and season of
perfection; their hardiness, productiveness, and comparative value for
cultivation,--these details, a knowledge of which is important as well
to the experienced cultivator as to the beginner, have heretofore been
obtained only through sources scattered and fragmentary.
To supply this deficiency in horticultural literature, I have
endeavored, in the following pages, to give full descriptions of the
vegetables common to the gardens of this country. It is not, however,
presumed that the list is complete, as many varieties, perhaps of much
excellence, are comparatively local: never having been described, they
are, of course, little known. Neither is the expectation indulged, that
all the descriptions will be found perfect; though much allowance must
be made in this respect for the influence of soil, locality, and
climate, as well as for the difference in taste of different
individuals.
Much time, labor, and expense have been devoted to secure accuracy of
names and synonymes; the seeds of nearly all of the prominent varieties
having been imported both from England and France, and planted, in
connection with American vegetables of the same name, with reference to
this object alone.
The delay and patience required in the preparation of a work like the
present may be in some degree appreciated from the fact, that in order
to obtain some comparatively unimportant particular with regard to the
foliage, flower, fruit, or seed, of some obscure and almost unknown
plant, it has been found necessary to import the seed or root; to plant,
to till, to watch, and wait an entire season.
Though some vegetables have been included which have proved of little
value either for the table or for agricultural purposes, still it is
believed such descriptions will be found by no means unimportant; as a
timely knowledge of that which is inferior, or absolutely worthless, is
often as advantageous as a knowledge of that which is of positive
superiority.
That the volume may be acceptable to the agriculturist, seedsman, and to
all who may possess, cultivate, or find pleasure in, a garden, is the
sincere wish of the author.
F. B., JR.
HINGHAM, March, 1863.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
In the preparation of this work, I have received the cheerful
co-operation of many esteemed personal friends, to whom I would here
express my grateful acknowledgments.
For many valuable suggestions with regard to the culture and general
management of the Potato, as well as for much important information
respecting nearly all of our American varieties of this vegetable, I am
indebted to J. F. C. HYDE, Esq., of Newton, Mass.; whose long experience
in the production of seedlings, as well as in the cultivation of
established kinds, will give peculiar value to this portion of the
volume.
The illustrations, so excellent and truthful, are from the pencil of Mr.
ISAAC SPRAGUE, of Cambridge, Mass.; whose fine delineations of animal as
well as vegetable life have won for him the reputation of being "the
first of living artists."
I am peculiarly indebted to Rev. E. PORTER DYER, of Hingham, for much
valuable advice and assistance; and cannot too fully express my
obligations for the unvarying kindness and courteous manner in which
repeated, and perhaps often unseasonable, requests for aid have been
received and granted.
My acknowledgments are also due to Hon. JOSEPH BRECK, author of "Book of
Flowers," and late President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society;
to CHARLES M. HOVEY, Esq., editor of "The Magazine of Horticulture," and
President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society; to P. B. HOVEY,
Esq., nurseryman and seedsman, of Cambridge, Mass.; and to DANIEL T.
CURTIS, Esq., seedsman and florist, and for many years Chairman of the
Committee on Vegetables of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
For information or other very acceptable assistance, I am also indebted
to Rev. CALVIN LINCOLN, of Hingham; Rev. JOHN L. RUSSELL, of Salem,
Mass.; JOHN A. BUTLER, Esq., of Chelsea, Mass.; EDWARD S. RAND, Jun.,
Esq., of Boston; Mr. AUSTIN BRONSON, of Enfield, N.H.; GEORGE W. PRATT,
Esq., of Boston; JOHN M. IVES, Esq., of Salem, Mass.; Mr. JAMES SCOTT,
of Hatfield, Mass.; Mr. ALONZO CRAFTS, of Whately, Mass.; Mr. JOHN C.
HOVEY, of Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. ISAAC P. RAND, of Dorchester, Mass.; Mr.
GEORGE EVERETT, of Concord, Mass.; and CALEB BATES, of Kingston, Mass.
From a work entitled "Descriptions des Plantes Potagères, par VILMORIN,
ANDRIEUX, et CIE., Paris;" from CHARLES M'INTOSH'S excellent "Book of
the Garden;" the "Gardener's Assistant," by ROBERT THOMPSON; "Rogers's
Vegetable Cultivator;" and "Lawson's Agriculturist's Manual,"--I have
made liberal extracts; and lest, in the course of the volume, any
omission of authority may occur where it should have been accredited, my
indebtedness to the valuable publications above mentioned is here
candidly confessed.
In adapting directions for cultivation, prepared for one climate, or
section of country, to suit that of another quite dissimilar, so much
alteration of the original text has at times been found necessary, that
I have not felt at liberty to affix the name of the original writer, but
have simply added the usual marks denoting derivation of authority.
ABBREVIATIONS AND AUTHORITIES.
_Big._--Plants of Boston and Vicinity. By JACOB BIGELOW, M.D. Boston,
1840.
_Bon. Jard._--Le Bon Jardinier pour l'Année 1859. Par A. BOITEAU et M.
VILMORIN.
_Corb._--The American Gardener. By WILLIAM CORBETT. Concord, Boston, and
New York, 1842.
_Cot. Gard._--The Cottage Gardener. By GEORGE W. JOHNSON and ROBERT
HOGG. Weekly. London.
_Count. Gent._--The Country Gentleman. By LUTHER TUCKER and SON. Weekly.
Albany, N.Y.
_De Cand._--The Candolle's Systema Naturale. By Prof. DE CANDOLLE. 2
vols. 8vo. Paris, 1818, 1821.
_Down._--The Fruit and Fruit-trees of America. By A. J. DOWNING. Revised
and corrected by CHARLES DOWNING, 1858.
_Gard. Chron._--The Gardener's Chronicle. Weekly. By Prof. LINDLEY. 1844
to the present time.
_Gray._--Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States. By Prof.
ASA GRAY. New York, 1857.
_Hort._--The Horticulturist, and Journal of Art and Rural Taste.
Monthly. By P. BARRY and J. JAY SMITH. Philadelphia.
_Hov. Mag._--The Magazine of Horticulture, Botany, and Rural Affairs. By
C. M. HOVEY. Boston. Monthly. 1834 to the present time.
_Law._--The Agriculturist's Manual. By PETER LAWSON and SON. Edinburgh,
1836.
_Lind._--A Guide to the Orchard and Kitchen Garden. By GEORGE LINDLEY.
London, 1831.
_Loud._--Encyclopædia of Gardening. By J. C. LOUDON. London, 1850.
_Loud._--Encyclopædia of Agriculture. By J. C. LOUDON. London, 1844.
_Low._--The Elements of Practical Agriculture. By DAVID LOW. London,
1843.
_M'Int._--The Book of the Garden. By CHARLES M'INTOSH. 2 vols. Edinburgh
and London, 1855.
_Mill._--The Gardener's and Botanist's Dictionary. By PHILIP MILLER.
Revised by Prof. MARTYN. London, 1819.
_Neill._--Neill's Journal of a Horticultural Tour, &c. 8vo. Edinburgh,
1823.
_New Am. Cyclopædia._--New American Cyclopædia. D. APPLETON & Co., New
York. 16 vols. royal 8vo. 1857 to 1863.
_Rog._--The Vegetable Cultivator. By JOHN ROGERS. London, 1851.
_Thomp._--The Gardener's Assistant. By ROBERT THOMPSON.
_Trans._--The Transactions of the London Horticultural Society.
Commenced 1815, and continued at intervals to the present time.
_Vil._--Description des Plantes Potagères. Par VILMORIN, ANDRIEUX, et
CIE. Paris, 1856.
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
CHAP. I.--_Esculent Roots._
The Beet. Carrot. Chervil, Turnip-rooted. Chinese Potato, or
Japanese Yam. Chufa, or Earth Almond. German Rampion. Jerusalem
Artichoke. Kohl Rabi. Oxalis, Tuberous. Oxalis, Deppe's.
Parsnip. Potato. Radish. Rampion. Swede or Ruta-baga Turnip.
Salsify, or Oyster Plant. Scolymus. Scorzonera. Skirret.
Sweet Potato. Tuberous-rooted Chickling Vetch. Tuberous-rooted
Tropæolum. Turnip. 1-121
CHAP. II.--_Alliaceous Plants._
The Cive. Garlic. Leek. Onion. Rocambole. Shallot. Welsh
Onion. 122-148
CHAP. III.--_Asparaginous Plants._
The Artichoke. Asparagus. Cardoon. Hop. Oosung. Phytolacca.
149-169
CHAP. IV.--_Cucurbitaceous Plants._
The Cucumber. Egyptian Cucumber. Globe Cucumber. Gourd, or
Calabash. The Melon. Musk-melon. Persian Melons. Water-melon.
Papanjay, or Sponge Cucumber. Prickly-fruited Gherkin.
Pumpkin. Snake Cucumber. Squash. 170-228
CHAP. V.--_Brassicaceous Plants._
Borecole, or Kale. Broccoli. Brussels Sprouts. Cabbage. Cauliflower.
Colewort. Couve Tronchuda, or Portugal Cabbage. Pak-Chöi. Pe-Tsai,
or Chinese Cabbage. Savoy. Sea-kale. 229-286
CHAP. VI.--_Spinaceous Plants._
Amaranthus. Black Nightshade. Leaf-beet, or Swiss Chard. Malabar
Nightshade. Nettle. New-Zealand Spinach. Orach. Patience Dock.
Quinoa. Sea-beet. Shepherd's Purse. Sorrel. Spinach. Wild or
Perennial Spinach. 287-314
CHAP. VII.--_Salad Plants._
Alexanders. Brook-lime. Buckshorn Plantain. Burnet. Caterpillar.
Celery. Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted Celery. Chervil. Chiccory, or
Succory. Corchorus. Corn Salad. Cress, or Peppergrass. Cuckoo
Flower. Dandelion. Endive. Horse-radish. Lettuce. Madras
Radish. Mallow, Curled-leaf. Mustard. Nasturtium. Garden
Picridium. Purslain. Rape. Roquette, or Rocket. Samphire.
Scurvy-grass. Snails. Sweet-scented Chervil, or Sweet Cicely.
Tarragon. Valeriana. Water-cress. Winter-cress, or Yellow Rocket.
Wood-sorrel. Worms. 315-405
CHAP. VIII.--_Oleraceous Plants._
Angelica. Anise. Balm. Basil. Borage. Caraway. Clary. Coriander.
Costmary. Cumin. Dill. Fennel. Lavender. Lovage.
Marigold. Marjoram. Nigella. Parsley. Peppermint. Rosemary.
Sage. Savory. Spearmint. Tansy. Thyme. 406-449
CHAP. IX.--_Leguminous Plants._
American Garden-bean. Asparagus-bean. Lima Bean. Scarlet-runner.
Sieva. Chick-pea. Chickling Vetch. English Bean. Lentil. Lupine.
Pea. Pea-nut. Vetch, or Tare. Winged Pea. 450-560
CHAP. X.--_Medicinal Plants._
Bene-plant. Camomile. Coltsfoot. Elecampane. Hoarhound. Hyssop.
Licorice. Pennyroyal. Poppy. Palmate-leaved or Turkey Rhubarb.
Rue. Saffron. Southernwood. Wormwood. 561-578
CHAP. XI.--_Mushrooms, or Esculent Fungi._
Agaricus. Boletus. Clavaria. Morchella, or Morel. Tuber,
or Truffle. 579-591
CHAP. XII.--_Miscellaneous Vegetables._
Alkekengi, or Ground Cherry. Corn. Egg-plant. Martynia. Oil
Radish. Okra, or Gumbo. Pepper. Rhubarb, or Pie-plant. Sunflower.
Tobacco. Tomato. 592-652
INDEX 655
FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES.
CHAPTER I.
ESCULENT ROOTS.
The Beet. Carrot. Chervil, Turnip-rooted. Chinese Potato, or Japanese
Yam. Chufa, or Earth Almond. German Rampion. Jerusalem Artichoke. Kohl
Rabi. Oxalis, Tuberous. Oxalis, Deppes. Parsnip. Potato. Radish.
Rampion. Swede, or Ruta-baga Turnip. Salsify, or Oyster Plant. Scolymus.
Scorzonera. Skirret. Sweet Potato. Tuberous-rooted Chickling Vetch.
Tuberous-rooted Tropæolum. Turnip.
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, 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 barnyard 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. Lay out the ground in beds five or six
feet in width, and of a length proportionate to the supply required;
spade or fork 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 surplus
plants will be found an excellent substitute for spinach, if cooked and
served in like manner. The afterculture consists simply in keeping the
plants free from weeds, and the earth in the spaces between the rows
loose and open by frequent hoeings.
Mr. Thompson states that "the drills for the smaller varieties should be
about sixteen inches apart, and the plants should be thinned out to nine
inches apart in the rows. The large sorts may have eighteen inches
between the rows, but still not more than nine inches from plant to
plant in the row. When large-sized roots are desired, the rows may be
eighteen inches or two feet apart, and the plants twelve or fifteen
inches distant from each other in the rows. But large roots are not the
best for the table; and it is better to have two medium-sized roots,
grown at nine inches apart, than one of perhaps double the size from
twice the space. As a square foot of ground should afford plenty of
nourishment to produce a root large enough for the table, the area for
each plant may, therefore, be limited to that extent. If the rows are
sixteen inches apart, and the plants thinned to nine inches in the row,
each plant will have a space equal to a square foot. Such, of course,
would also be the case if the rows were twelve inches apart, and the
plants the same distance from each other in the row. But it is
preferable to allow a greater space between the rows than between the
plants in the row: for, by this arrangement, the leaves have better
scope to grow to each side, and the plants so situated grow better than
those which have an equal but rather limited space in all directions;
whilst the ground can also be more easily stirred, and kept clean."
_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. Remove the leaves, being careful not
to cut or bruise the crown; spread the roots in the sun a few hours to
dry; pack them in sand or earth slightly moist; and place in the cellar,
out of reach of frost, for the winter.
"The London market-gardeners winter their beets in large sheds, stored
in moderately damp mould, and banked up with straw. Mr. Cuthill states
that it is a mistake to pack them in dry sand or earth for the winter;
and that the same may be said of parsnips, carrots, salsify, scorzonera,
and similar roots.
"The object here is, that the moist soil may not draw the natural sap
out of the roots so readily as dry sand would do; and hence they retain
their fresh, plump appearance, and their tenderness and color are better
preserved. In taking up the roots, the greatest care must be exercised
that they are neither cut, broken, wounded on the skin, nor any of the
fibres removed; and, when the small-leaved varieties are grown, few, if
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