| Show YIELD OF BEETS BEETSI I I LOW IN AMERICA I More Careful Cultural Methods I Suggested for Greater Profits I INVESTIGATIONS IN LN UTAH i Average for Acreage Output in U. U S. S Declared Lowest of oft t Any Country B I Variations In the the- yield of or sugar beets f under wider similar conditions are to so striking that the tho government has re recently to- to conducted an investigation Into tho causes for tor these differences Tho The yield of ot sugar r beets per acre nero In tho the thee j e United States is lower with tUh the exl cx- cx E S l of ot Russia than that of or an any of or orthe jf the other producing beet countries In n Germany tho the average a Is tons In n Russia Ja and In inthe the tho United States 1011 1017 Climatic conditions tho the character char char- 1 acter actor of ot the son soil and tho the relative cost of labor labor- and land which prevents pre as ns much work worle being spent on each acre acre is s is 15 done In Europe account of course for tor much of ot tho the differences in j yield But even when no such factors have to bo be taken Into consideration In same localities on soil of the tho same 1 character r. r under c cultural methods that appear identical there Is the widest range In the yield It Is no uncommon thing to find one farmer armer hauling twenty tons of ot beets from each acre to the factory when his neighbor can bard barely barel t F- F muster cn or eight y Investigations in The departments department's investigations Into tr this problem which arc are published In r Department Bulletin No were carl car- car l ned on in Utah for tor a period of ot three F f Pv years ears The Tho investigation reached the conclusion that the variations In yield were duo due to deficiencies of ot stand Prok Pro Pro- k V lous Investigations had shown that the tho f ideal i stand for sugar sus-ar beets may b bo taken as plants per acre acre the tho thoI I result of ot leaving lea beets eight Inches h r. apart in rows twenty inches apart A larger stand than this un under er ordinary P conditions causes overcrowding a t tI I smaller stand means waste of ot land It ef was vaz found however howe that without counting the thO plants it was wai impossible to distinguish between stands of oC 50 50 60 or 01 SO per cent of or this I l standard The loss occurred in tho the germination stand stad before thinning during the tho process of ot thinning nd nd blocking and during tho the cultural operations between thinning and harvesting har In tho the de departments department's departments department's do- do experiment it was found that th the germination stand I in an average e loss of ot close to 20 per cent cent- The l ea e for or this mo may be bo found round In p poor r o-r preparation n ot of the he s seed cd bed Imperfect Imper Imper- Imper-I Imper feet operation and ced eed drills l late te fos frosts s the off dampness disease or tho the I ravages ravage of or such pests as lea flea beetles cut worms or wireworms Improper Thinning Cues Loss The greatest single source of loss In Inthe Inthe Inthe I the stands however was found round to be bo improper thinning In this country countr this work i M 11 usually done b by a poor class of hired labor Jabor or else b by contract It ItIs Is 1 seldom efficiently efficient supervised and tho the laborers receive the same pay whether it is proper properly or improperly done llone The investigators found that almost In Invariably Invariably In- In variably the space left between the I plants was sas greater r than the farmer in intended intended in- in tended It to be although this feet fact was waif wasI I not apparent after aler the plants attained a moderate growth The average loss from this source was estimated to be approximately 2 23 per cent I After Ater thinning thinning- thele e wa was wag further loss lossIn lossin lossin in tho the field the harvest Some plants desti destroyed red b by tho the hand hoe hoc lame lome by the horses or by b carelessness with the cultivator The Tho total loss from those sources was estimated at an average aver aver- ago age of approximately 7 per cent cont Thus in the experimental plots which furnished fur tur- the data for the Investigations there was a total deficiency of ot over 50 BO per cent in Sn the stand with a n. corresponding corresponding corre corre- decrease in tho the yield I Tho The remedy for tor this loss appears to tobe tobe be greater care In particular the elimination of ot contract work is recommended mended since It 1 Is hardly possible I to expect contract laborers to exorcise the tho Proper amount of ot care and discretion On one European farm which is worked on scientific principles 10 40 cents additional ad nd- per acre acra Is paid the men If R ht T- T 1 n r In I- Vi h f after ri V the tho second c u nd cultivation t t n Th The b beets i I must be 11 Inches apart in the row The Tho significance of oC this Investigation atlon In Iii the United States Is increased by the tho fact that It was carried on In a a. dietrict district district dis die where tho the average yield per acre Is seventeen tons as compared with an average of the entire country of ot only 1017 1011 If a losses of or such size can be found in a region where beet culture Is obviously more advanced than In most other regions the total loss throughout the entire United States must be enor enor- mOlls This total Is Ig to a R. great extent preventable for tor as has been shown it itIs itis l Is duo less to natural conditions than to defects In cultural methods L |
