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Show Sugar Beet Culture and Successful Farming i The management of land for sugar beets deserves special attention. The ! I factors which aid in securing a large 1 1 crop are occasionally, if not frequent- .-ly, .-ly, overlooked; it is an easy matter j i to dismiss lightly such woik as early i deep plowing, the preparation of an , ideal seed bed, thinning for the pur- pose of obtaining a perfect stand, or . guaging the growing season. If these, i things are worked out in detail, and j the results are observed by the grow-. er, it is certain that the minor parts in the production of the crop will be i carried out at the opportune time. : Although a low average yield has been ; reported for the beet crop in the val- i ley within the last three or four i years a few farms have produced ex-: i ceptionally good yields; there seems to be good reason for the belief that 1 i if excellent returns are possible on ' i small tracts under proper culture I methods can be applied on more ex- i tensive tracts with correspoding re- ; suits. ; The benefits of deep plowing in ; the fall or early winter are more c readily apparent on lands which are an irrigation either prior to or im- ' mediately after turning. The frosts of winter have very little effect upon a dry surface, and the fields are usualy dry after harvest; but if the soil is thoroughly moistened, then the repeated thawing and freezing lenv- . es the surface in a mellow condition. condi-tion. In such a field it is not a difficult dif-ficult task to prepare a suitable seed bed in the spring of the year. The ' depth to which the soil is plowed , .governs to some extent the develop- j ment of the plant roots.. In case the I soil is heavy and compact, a shallow I stirring will give the plant a limit-j ed area in which to grow, and a short stunted root will be produced. This stunting will not only effect a re- j duction in the yield per acre, but it ' will also have a bearing upon the composition of the crop. Another de- ; cided advantage may be gained by ! deep tillage. Water can be absorbed j rapidly by the soil only where the surface permits a ready penetration; more effective storage will also be i afforded under such conditions. The j moisture which passes deeply into the J soil will return again to feed the i iianlity is sufficient io produce a 'nil stand of plants, the planting may .' started in the field. The planter hould be watched from the begin-ling begin-ling of the operation until the work las been completed. Any defective .voik will be in the evidence at a aler time in the season. It may alio al-io be sta'ed that straight rows are icccssary if the right kind of work s to be done with the cultivator. As loon as the planting has been eom-!e!cd eom-!e!cd the field is ful l owed out for rngation. Where the land is somewhat some-what rolling in character, or even in i field that is comparatively level, .he use of a sled made of small logs .vill assist materially in getting the ,'irst run of water through uniformly. As soon as the plants are large .nough the beets should be thinned :o the proper stand. It is customary o block the rows with a hoe, and ;he bunches which remain are then ill thinned out so that the stand will approximate one strong plant every i inches in the row. The more vigorous vigor-ous plants should be saved in prefer-t-nc to the weak, immature ones; however, if hte work is to be done property, careful supervision must be given. It has been suggested that something might be aeeomp-pbshed aeeomp-pbshed in the encouragement of belter work through the payment of a premium; obviously, low yields can in many cases be traced to poor work in thinning. If a first-class stand of beets is mutilated in the thinning process to such an extent that 25 per cent of the stand has been destroyed it is almost certain that the final yield will be reduced from a possible maximum almost to the same extent. It is. therefore, highly important that the work be done in accordance with the specified plan. Throughout the early life of the plant regular cultivation will facilitate facili-tate growth, and such tillage may in a measure, take the place of some of the water. Fields are often irrigated irrigat-ed and no attempt, is made to break up the crust which forms on the surface after the land has dried out more or less; thus, when a second or third run is made, the water cannot pass readily into the soil, and crop growth is not stimulated as it should be. More than one advantage can be gained by giving the surface a cultivation at such times. These advantages ad-vantages aie shown in the greater storage of water, the better aeration of the soil, and the increased activity activi-ty of the bacterial life in the soil. The ext.a growth will pay well for the additional work. SUMMARY: To improve the present returns from the beet fields, several fundamental funda-mental features must be observed. These may be stated, in brief: (1) Fall flowing and autumn or winter irrigation are necessary in the preparation of a first-class seed bed. (-) A well planted rotation should growing plant. ' j Early spring tillage should follow ; the deep fall or winter plowing. This i step is taken in order to conserve ! the moisture which has been stored in the course of the first irrigation. -There is, perhaps, no better implement imple-ment with which to do the initial work in the spring than the disk harrow. har-row. It pulverizes the surface completely com-pletely and leaves the field in excellent ex-cellent condition for leveling. By repeating this treatment two or three, times one may obtain the de- j i sired tilth which is characteristic of i ! of first-class seed bed. The next ! step, planting, involves a careful ex- j animation of the planter in order to j determine whether it will deliver the! required amount of seed regularly. The test may be made by placing some seed in the box; then by set-j ting the planter and diing it over j adiard, smooth surafce the will drop where it can be seen. An examination examina-tion will show the quantity of seed which is being delivered. If the oe selected, tne roughage should be fed on the farm, and the manure should find its way back to the respective res-pective fields. (3) Thorough preparation of the seed bed is essential; early work will assist in retaining soil moisture. ! (1) Even, regular planting will in-: in-: sure the stand of beets; the thinning ought to be given careful supervision. supervi-sion. (5) Regular intertillage cannot be omitted without incurring losses; care should be exercised in the use of the irrigation water. By L. H. Moorehouse, U. S. Department of I Agriculture in Sugar Beet Journal. |