Show preparation OF SEED BED IMPORTANT IN BEET GROWING how should the seed bed be pro pared and cared for in order to secure a maximum yield of sugar beets professor george B stewart of the utah agricultural college recently offered the fol following follow lowig lg suggestions to those planning to raise beets during the coming year start early says professor stewart the earlier the better wherever possible tile the field should b be e plowed in the fall or if this is impossible it should be plowed as early in the spring as the ground can be worked if you wait until you are almost ready to plant the seed you will be losing two advantages that are indispensable in getting the best crop the first of these is the advantage of turning under the plants and manure on the surface so that decomposition may begin early and the second Is the advantage of allowing the soil to settle and become sufficiently compact A good seed bed tor for beets has two essential qualities it must hol hold d moisture and it must be compact the importance of moisture cannot be ae overemphasized over emphasized contrary to popular impression the sugar beet seed is s a very small one the large rough bodies addies that aro are placed in the ground consist of the seed plus a rough heavy pod that surrounds it A seed so small as the actual beet seed naturally puts out a very small shoot and very frail rootlets rootless root lets so that it is lm possible for it to grow brow through much more than an inch 0 of lf soil in fact act the best results are obtained if t the covering is not more than three fourths inch in thickness this means that the surface of the soil must me lose and that the moisture must not fall lower than within three fourths of an inch of the surface until after the seeds have lave germinated and the roots have had a chance to penetrate considerable distance here again we see the advantage of plowing early and deep soil thus plowed is sufficiently loose to permit the plants to come up and at the same time is not so porous as to permit ermit the moisture to evaporate too oo 00 tar far below the surface it the Plowing Ip done in the tall fall th the pack pa 1 ng begins at the bottom leaving the lop op with the desired degree of looseness if it is spring plowed it should be gone over first with a harrow and later with nith a drag this packs the bottom layers first and works the top into a fine mulch which prevents the moisture from evaporating too VV t abo r face yc y C s 1 ruba and should Lne never er cv t end to 4 pat the he surface forming a favri crust r on top of a loose porous lafery la When the seedbed seed bed has been properly prepared the horses hoots hoofs vill aill leave a shallow print and the underlying portions will be compact and firm now it if there is an abundance of plant food available to secure a rapid growth so that the roots will have penetrated deeply before the surface moisture has evaporated the first important step will have been taken in securing a good yield of beets |