uses to which it is amenable for the comfort and sustenance of man are
sometimes neglected. As a simple dish to accompany cold meats the Beet
is most acceptable. Dressed with vinegar and white pepper, it is at once
appetising, nutritive, and digestible. Served as fritters, it is by some
people preferred to Mushrooms, as it then resembles them in flavour, and
is more easily digested. It makes a first-rate pickle, and as an agent
in colouring it has a recognised value, because of the perfect
wholesomeness of the rich crimson hue it imparts to any article of food
requiring it.

==Frame Culture==.--Where the demand for Beet exists the whole year
through, early sowings in heat are indispensable. For this method of
cultivation the Globe variety should be employed, and two sowings, the
first in February and another in March, will generally provide a good
supply of roots in advance of the outdoor crops. Sow in drills on a
gentle hot-bed and thin the plants from six to nine inches apart in the
rows. As soon as the plants are large enough, give air at every suitable
opportunity. Fresh young Beets grown in this way find far more favour at
table than those which have been stored for several months. They are
also of great service for exhibition, especially in collections of early
vegetables.

==Preparation of Ground==.--The cultivation of Beet is of the most simple
nature, but a certain amount of care is requisite for the production of
a handsome and profitable crop. Beet will make a fair return on any soil
that is properly prepared for it; but to grow this root to perfection a
rich light loam is necessary, free from any trace of recent or strong
manure. A rank soil, or one to which manure has been added shortly
before sowing the seed, will produce ugly roots, some coarse with
overgrowth, others forked and therefore of little value, and others,