Show GROWING SUGAR BEETS practically all kinds of soil aro arc adapted to plant alanl clay and clay loama require much more mora work than lighter solla solis and are much more mora difficult to keep in by F W 1101 MING soils bolla suitable for tho the culture of at the augar boot under irrigation comprise practically nil all classa from tho the heavy black soils eolla of california and montana to the sandy loams coams and silts ot of river bottoms and mesas tho the clay and clay loam soils require much more work than lighter soils bolla and tire are moro difficult to put into proper thu the forming of A crust after rains or after being irrigated Is also a i disadvantage advantage dla theve soils however contain a much larger percentage of 0 available plant food than tho the lighter soils and under favorable conditions will produce heavier yields and are not no BO easily exhausted by continuous cropping intensive tillage which la is so BO important in the cultivation of this crop has hac a marked tendency to render these heavy soils more friable and it has haa been found that the yields in f 0 3 4 beets beet showing effects of early and late irrigation no 1 irrigated Irrl august 9 no Z 2 irrigated july 26 nov noa 3 and 4 irrigated july 17 creaso crease from year to bearup year up to a certain point in one valley in california where beets have been grown since 1888 somo some of the black adobe solis soils gave the largest returns after ten years of continuous cropping cropp lne without fertilization tha depth of at the soil Is one of 0 the prime considerations in the growing of sugar beets as the beet is deep rooted therefore lands with a hardpan formation within 18 inches of at the surface should be avoided not only on account of their interference with toot root growth but because of their tendency to lose moisture low law wet lands should bo be avoided also no mat ter of what character as they are usually cold and prevent rapid development of the chop in the early stages of plant life while tho the later growth Is kept beyond the time when tho the beets should mature thus causing low sugar percentages alkali Is to be considered also especially ally as ae most soils bolls throughout the west contain alkali in greater or smaller quantities beets will withstand the effects of alkali to a greater degree than any other summer crop but strongly impregnated soils eolla retard the proper development of tho the plant as aa well as lower tho the purity of the juice rendering it unfit for manufacture taken altogether the pest best soil for this crop is a clayey loam ot of good depth which contains sufficient sand or silt to allow ite ita being worked into a finely divided condition the tha underlying soil stratum should be pervious to water but not so BO coarse as to allow of rapid percolation such soils are found in nearly all the present beet growing districts and are usually the producers of large crops of beets of good sugar percentage and high purity As provided for in tho the contract between the beet growers and the dugar manufacturers the tion of land suitable for this crop to is subject to the approval of the manufacturers rs field men or superintendents As aa these men are usually ex perlen ced their judgment should be relied upon largely climate naturally has an Import important aint bearing on the desirability of a district for beet culture and in a general way it may be stated that at least four or five months of growing weather are necessary to the successful production of beets the success which has haa attended this industry throughout the arid and semiarid semi arid regions may bo be attributed largely to the distribution of the rainfall tte the absence of 0 rain at the tha time of harvest Is an important feature in the more humid sections of af the east and middle west rain may cause a renewal of growth after maturity which results in a groat great reduction in the sugar content of the beet the locations therefore e where moisture aure Is applied artificially and can thus be regulated to cause maturity at fa H certain stage Is a without doubt an ideal field for the successful fostering of this industry |