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Show SUGAR BEETS FALL VERSUS SPRING PLOWING PLOW-ING FOR SUGAR BEETS. The Dcscrct Farmer has bccii strcn-' strcn-' uously advocating fall instead of spring plowing for so long that it seems a reflection on the intelligence of our readers to refer to it again. An experiment conducted by the Sprcckcls Experiment Station in a locality where irrigation is practiced bears out our contention so materially material-ly that wc cannot refrain from referring re-ferring to it: To test the value of fall and spring plowing with a single spring plowing two sets of experiments were run by the experiment station the past season and the results obtained arc Iboth striking and conclusive. The fall and spring plats were plowed November 19 and February 17. . The spring plats were plowed February Febru-ary 17, horses being used for the work in each case. The flooded plats were plowed again after the irrigation was completed Two methods of irrigation were tried out, flooding, and in small ditches, but the duplicate plats were handled exactly alike. IRRIGATION PLAT PLOWED "" Jo, of Weight Ave. Wl. VESIEI) Hccts Lbs, Ozs. Kind Date AMT. M 136 Fall, Spring Furrow April 18 lain. Fcpt.37 362 517 29 M 137 Spring " " u ' 232 313 22 9 132 Fnll, Spring Flood April 12 12 " 392 557 31 H 141 Spring " " 12 " 332 30S 21 R TESTS I PI AT ,zc of ,,,at Patl of n" Y'ciy ,)cr ncrc Sugar, per Actual I Square feet ncrc Tons Acre, lbs. ir,cltl I F S u P ' Conditions .J "" - - - ! Ij6 500 .0115 328 17.3 83 7778 :7.8c I , 137 500 ' 13.6 17.4 86 5736 11.31 f 131 ' 467 .ot07 26.04 17 83 8860 19.53 141 467 " '3-93 17.3 65 4830 10.45 The larger size o'f .the furrowed plats is due to the land taken up by the irrigating ditch. The actual land in beets is" the same, and the relationship relation-ship between .the stands in the two kinds of plowing is very marked. The fall plowed land was in so much better bet-ter conditions for retaining moisture that its influence is marked on the generation of the seed. The plats we're large enough for practical tests having light rows. The only difference which may be noted is ' the presence of outside rows, something some-thing which would not occur in regu- lar fields. This makes the yield probably prob-ably one-fourth larger than could be obtained in the field. But as all plats were situated the same, all had outside out-side rows, and if the yields of 136 and 132 are to be cut down one-fourth in order to approach field conditions, plate 137 and 141 must also be decreased, de-creased, in the samic proportion, and the resulting ratios arc actually the same, proving that a fall plowing followed fol-lowed by a spring one (to work up the land after the rains pack it) re- turns a large interest on llic extra . Cost of handling over a single spring 'plowing the usual method of handling. The opening of the land perhiits the entrance of air, absorbs all moisture, mellows the land and brings about as nearly as possible- perfect tilth. 0 |