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Seed Catalogue And Garden Guide. 3.

[Image: Drawing/Scratchboard Illustration of a beet, caption-Market Gardeners' Beet.]
Beets.
One ounce sows 50 feet of drill; 4 to 6 pounds for one acre.

For early, sow as soon as the ground can be worked, and about the middle of May for general crop, in drills fifteen inches apart and one and a half inches deep. As the plants grow thin to six inches in drills. The young plants make excellent greens. The seed will germinate more freely if soaked in warm water twenty-four hours before sowing; but care should be taken not to plant soaked seed in very dry ground. The soil should be a deep, rich loam.
Iowa Seed Co's Market Gardener's Beet.--Undoubtedly one of the best novelties ever introduced, and it receives much praise from our customers each year. Its shape is well shown by the accompaning engraving. It is very symmetrical, with small tap root and but few fibrous roots. Unusually small tops. Although on some soils the Egyptian can be marketed a few days before the Market Gardeners, still within a week it will be found larger than the Egyptian, while it continues to grow until late in the fall, attaining a large size, and making a good eating and selling beet for winter. One sowing only is necessary to produce early beets for market and main crop for winter use. Color, deep blood red; fine grained and unsurpassed in quality. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 25c, lb. 75c.

Crosby's Improved Egyptian.--We believe this to be the earliest variety in existence. It was originated by Josiah Crosby, a leading market gardener for the Boston market, and is a great improvement on the old Egyptian, being thicker, handsomer, and more regular in shape, smooth, with very small tops and small tap root. It is of perfect shape when small thus making a good beet for bunching, and is very popular with the Des Moines market gardeners for this purpose. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 25c, lb. 75c.
[Image: Drawing/Scratchboard Illustration of a beet, caption-Crosby's Improved Egyptian.]

Extra Early Eclipse.--Of rapid growth, small top, and extra fine quality. Roots smooth, round, intense blood-red skin and flesh. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 60c.

Egyptian Turnip.--Very deep red. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.
Dewing's Improved Blood Turnip.--An improvement on the old Early Blood Turnip. Globe shape; deep blood-red color, fine flavor, desirable for main crop; good keeper. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.
Bastian's Extra Early Red.--Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.
Black Queen.--See Novelties. Per pkt. 10c.
Swiss Chard.--For greens only. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 25c, lb. 75c.
Extra Long Dark Blood.--Standard winter; smooth, tender and sweet. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.

[Image: Drawing/Scratchboard Illustration of 3 different kinds of beets, Captions-Golden Tankard, Champion Yellow Globe, Dignity]

Dignity.--An improvement on the Mammoth Long Red by careful selection for a number of years. It stands head and shoulders above all other varieties of mangels; unequaled for yielding and feeding qualities. Grows to a very large size, weighing from 30 to 50 lbs., and will yield 50 tons per acre with good cultivation. Thousands of western farmers have grown our Dignity mangel and call it the most profitable farm crop they ever tried. If you want large crops of large mangels of good quality, don't fail to try the Dignity. It is very uniform, smooth, and of good shape. Should be grown on deep, loose soil. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 40c. By express, not prepaid, 5 lbs. $1.25.

Mangels And Sugar Beets.
Extensively grown in all parts of the country for feeding stock. Sow in April or May, in drills three feet apart, and thin to ten inches in the row. If your soil is deep and mellow, try the long varieties; if shallow the round kinds will do better. No crop pays the farmer or stock raiser better than mangels; 1,000 bushels to the acre is an ordinary yield, while, with good culture, over 2,000 bushels have been grown to this amount of ground. These make the cheapest of foods for all kinds of live stock--horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc. Easily grown and they help to keep stock in good condition and free from disease. Dairyman [Dairymen] claim that a bushel of mangels and a bushel of corn are worth more than two bushels of corn. Use 5 lbs. seed to an acre. Full direction for culture, and storing mangels, will be sent on application.

Golden Tankard.--Best for dairy farming. Considered indispensible among English dairy farmers; it is stated by them they are able to obtain a higher price for milk when feeding cows on Golden Tankard. Sheep thrive on it. Other mangels cut white, circled with yellow, but Golden Tankard is of a rich, deep yellow throughout. Early, hardy and a heavy cropper, for on account of its shape the roots can be left standing close in rows. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 35c. By express, not prepaid, 5 lbs. $1.50.

Champion Yellow Globe.--Finest type of Yellow Globe in cultivation. Roots immense size, fine shape, small tap root, neat top. Flesh being very firm and fine-grained, renders it an excellent keeping variety. Well adapted to shallow soils. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 45c. By express, 5 lbs. $1.50.

Red Globe.--Like the above except color. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 45c. By express, 5 lbs. $1.50.

Mammoth Golden Giant.--An improvement on the long yellow mangel, being of considerably greater size, more than half above ground and of a more grayish or rather russet yellow color. Remarkably even in shape, rather elongated, of vigorous growth; it has a fine neck and a very smooth skin. Flesh white, firm and sweet, much liked by cattle. In short, a magnificent root, easily lifted from the ground, producing enormous crops. Excellent keeper; yields 40 to 60 tons per acre. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c. By express, 5 lbs. $1.50.

Mammoth Long Red.--Very popular sort. Grows to an immense size and has produced sixty-five tons to the acre. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 30c. By express, 5 lbs. $1.00.

Collection of Mangels. One ounce each of the above six varieties for 30c, 1/4 lb. of each for 90c, 1 lb. of each for $2.25, postpaid, or $1.75 by express.

Sugar Beets.
Vilmorin's Impoved [Improved] Sugar.--Yields the largest percentage of sugar. Best of the French sugar beets. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.
Diamond Sugar.--Grown in Germany from beets which tested 18 to 20 per cent of sugar. Best of German varieties. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 20c, lb. 50c.
Lane's Imperial Sugar.--For feeding stock. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 15c, lb. 40c. By express, 5 lbs. $1.25.