ROOT CROPS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 951, 19 April 1930, Page 25

ROOT CROPS

CULTIVATE MORE AND BUY LESS When the condition of soil and weather permits, is usually the commencement of the busy season where xegetables are grown. It is always important to get the hardy vegetables started into growth as early as possible, in order to get the full benefit of the growing season, and when the coil is not too wet to work; preparations should commence as soon as possible. Among the principal of the hardy vegetables are those grown for their roots, and growers should , make preparation for the crops. , The soil for all of them requires | deep working while dry so as to ensure its being in a mellow or friable [ condition ,at planting time. Manure, if , used at all, must be well decay r ed and , should not be less than 12in below the ■ surface or it will cause the roots to branch out and become useless. j The principal root vegetables are . i parsnips, carrots and beet. Cood crops • of these can be grown in a small area, l and by sowing at the proper season these will be fit to use for the greater i portion of the year, and especially for i the -winter months, when other veger tables are scarce. As the treatment ■ of these three vegetables differs i slightly, we give a few cultural hints • fer each. The Parsnip.—This vegetable, to be ! well grown, takes about nine months ; from seed, and as the seed will germinate at a low temperature, it may i be sown during the present month. I Having prepared the soil as recom-

mended above, drills should be drawn about 15iu apart and 15in in depth, afterward covering with fine soil and treading it firm. When the young plants are well above the ground tliey should be thinned out where too thick and thinning should he repeated at intervals until the plants stand not Less than Gin apart. Beyond keeping the surface well loosened and free from weeds, little else will be required in the way of cultivation until the roots are fit for use. The Carrot. —This vegetable required a lighter and more friable soil ihan the parsnip. The early varieties are usually fit for use in about three months from the time of sowing the seeds. The soil should be well worked in autumn, and any manuie used should be well decayed and placed at least a foot below the surface to prevent “forking” of the roots. The roots should be used as soou as large enough as they become coarse and strong in flavour if left to grow too large. In other respects the method of cultivation is similar to that recommended for parsnips. For early use the shorthorn variety is about the best. Chantenay is also a good kind when obtainable. Scarlet Intermediate is a good main crop variety which keeps well The seed must be fresh, as it soon icses its vitality and cannot be relied upon after one season. Sow in drills half an inch deep and at least a foot apart, aud thin the young plants to six inches apart. Beet. —The cultivation of this vegetable is similar to the preceding as regards soil and time of growing, but being a native of the seashore, it is benefited by the application of salt to the soil. It may also be transplanted when young and any gaps in the rows may he tilled up in this manner Early thinning of the young plants ts essential to its proper development. The seed may be sown in rows 12m apart aud lin deep, the plants when finally thinned standing about 9in apart in the rows. Sparrows are very partial to the young plants, and it is usually necessary to protect the plants by stretching black thread along the rows as soon as the plants appear above the ground. A good strain of Long Blood Red is . bout the best seed to use, and when thinning the young plants retain the dark-eyed ones. The round or turniprooted varieties are becoming very popular, as they grow quickly and give less trouble to the cook, wuile the duality of some of them is quite equal to some of the long varieties, But they do not keep so well after they are full grown. Egyptians and Crimson Globe are good varieties. The total numbers of farm live stock in Canada last June are estimated as under: Horses, 3,376,457; milch cows, 3.775.277; other cattle. 5.152.711: total cattle, 8,930,988; sheep. 3.725, 309; swine, 4,381,725. In order to obtain two litters per year from a sow the litter should be weaned at eight weeks of age. Feminity, besides being a guide to milk production in a c-ow, is a sign of a regular and reliable breeder as well.