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Show SWEET CLOVER AIDS PRODUCTION OF SUGAR BEET CROPS By THOMAS L. MARTIN B. Y. U. Agronomist Sugar beet growing is very much in the mind of the farmer at the present time. It is, therefore, opportune that there be discussed once more better types of farming farm-ing necessary for profitable sugar beet production. One must always keep in mind that a depleted soil means a depleted citizenship, and to prevent this depletion one must do the "soil job" right. There must be rotation, phosphate application applica-tion where needed, proper spacing spac-ing and thinning, early planting, fall plowing when necessary, barnyard barn-yard manures, and green manuring incorporations. Not the least of these "musts" is. addition of humus , through green manures to soils. Green manures are needed for sugar beet growing and for other crops. There is not enough barnyard barn-yard manure produced to satisfy the soil needs; consequently, substitutes sub-stitutes must be provided. Crops of different kinds have been suggested, sug-gested, such as oats, beet tops, and alfalfa. They are very good for this purpose, but the best green manure crop for this western country is the common sweet clover, which grows so luxuriantly on so many of the ditch banks. If a grain crop could be ,planted in the fall as a nurse crop for the sweet clover, the grain harvested when ripe, and the sweet clover irrigated as needed need-ed for the balance of the season, then plowed under in the fall, the response the following spring to sugar beet growing would be very satisfactory. One could pasture the sweet clover in the fall and not plow the land until the following spring, when the sweet clover would be about up to the knees. Then potatoes po-tatoes could be planted and harvested, har-vested, barnyard manure applied in the fall, and sugar beets planted plant-ed the following spring. Return in sugar beet yields would be satisfying. |