FIG. 222. LONG YELLOW BEETROOT.
Cultivation: For obtaining the best results, an open situation should be chosen, free from the shade of trees. The ground should be light and sandy, and, if possible, that which has been previously manured for some other crop, French beans, for instance. Trench the soil to a depth of 2ft. in the autumn, and ridge it up for the winter. As soon as dry enough to allow of working in spring, dig over the whole bed with a steel digging fork, and break the soil tolerably fine. Sow any time from the last week in April to the end of May. Prepare the drills about a foot or 15in. apart, and from 1in. to 2in. deep. The seeds grow quicker if steeped in water previous to sowing, afterwards allowing them to get dry enough to separate from each other. Sow thinly, and fill in the drills with a rake. As soon as the plants are up, hoe between the rows, and keep free from weeds. In a fortnight or three weeks after this hoeing, if the weather has been favourable, the plants will be large enough for thinning. Thin out to about 9in. apart, and carefully fill up, in dull weather, any blanks that may occur. Transplanting is, however, not generally a very satisfactory method. Carefully lift the roots in autumn, before frost comes, and wring off the leaves about an inch from the crowns. Place the roots in a cool shed or house, and allow the soil on them to get quite dry, when they may be stored for winter use in dry sand, or soil, in a shed free from frost. It is preferable to keep the crowns free from soil, to prevent decay from the ends of the leaves left on them. If this be carefully done, the roots will keep till the next season's early crop is ready. In all processes connected with the growing, storing, or cooking of this vegetable, the greatest care must be taken to avoid bruising or otherwise injuring the roots, as deficiency of colour would be the result, especially in the case of the red-fleshed kinds, in some cases rendering them valueless for table use. Seed Saving: When lifting the crop in autumn, select as many of the best formed and coloured roots as required, and store them separately from the rest. In April, plant them in a spot by themselves, where there is no danger of impregnation from other varieties, and in due time good seed will ripen. If good foliaged varieties are required, the best should be selected when growing in the summer, and either be marked by some means, or have the inferior ones removed from them.
Sorts. These are somewhat numerous—almost every seedsman having a so-called "improved strain." Nutting's Dwarf Red, Chelsea, Pine Apple, Dell's Crimson and Red Castelnaudary, are the best of the crimson or red-fleshed kinds. The Egyptian Turnip-rooted is a distinct variety, with flesh of a good colour, and fine flavour; excellent for summer salads. Betterave de Bretagne is a Continental variety; the roots grow to a good size, with a distinct outer skin of a dark colour; flesh rich purple. The best of the yellow-fleshed kinds are Small Yellow and Long Yellow (see Fig. 222); but these are not grown nearly so much as the deep-coloured section; in fact, they are almost useless for garden purposes.
FIG. 223. WHITE LEAF BEETROOT.
Beetroot for Bedding Purposes: In this case, where the foliage is the main object, the seed may be sown in a reserve bed, and the plants transferred to their positions in the flower garden. If, however, a line is required in a ribbon or other border, the best plan is to sow there, and thin out the plants to equal distances. Dell's Crimson is one of the best varieties for this purpose, being very compact and of a good dark colour.
Varieties of the Leaf Beet (Beta Cicla), and Sea or Perennial Beet (Beta maritima), are sometimes, but very seldom, cultivated for the use of the leafstalks and leaves, the roots being hard and unfit for cooking purposes. They are at the best but substitutes for other vegetables—namely, the midrib for Sea-kale and the leaves for Spinach. If desired, seeds may be sown in the way described for Beetroot, in April for using in autumn and winter, and in August for spring use, plants of the latter sowing being protected in severe weather. The best sorts are Red-stalked, Yellow-stalked, and White (see Fig. 223) or Silver Leaf.
BEET CARRION BEETLE (Silpha opaca). This destructive insect is frequently found in dead animals, but often its grub almost destroys the leaves of Beet and Mangold Wurzel crops. The grubs, which are black and shining, when full grown are from ⅓in. to ½in. long; the three segments next the head are rounded at the sides, but the other segments are sharp, and the tail segment has a sharp spine on each side. "When full-fed, the grubs bury themselves, and form cells at the depth of 3in. or 4in. below the surface of the earth, in which they turn to pupæ, and from these the Beetle has been seen to come up in about the space of a fortnight or three weeks" (Ormerod). The Beetles are flattish, and about five lines long, brown-black, with a tawny down; eyes large and oval; horns club-shaped; body somewhat oval; wing-cases very flat, turned up at the outer edge, each case having three sharp ridges running along it; tip of abdomen dull red. Any manures or methods of cultivation that would stimulate growth in the plants, so as to permit renovation of injuries, would be found useful. If farmyard manure were applied to the soil intended for Beet in the autumn instead of in spring, it would lessen the risk of attack to the Beets.
FIG. 224. COMMON GARDEN BEETLE.