Sugar Beet Investigations. 167 



that it is well to encounter as few difficulties as possible at first and 

 rake up the more difficult cases later. 



Subsoil. — Sugar beets should have a deep soil, with a moderately 

 porous subsoil. A shallow soil with a hard or water soaked subsoil i:^ 

 fatal to the crop. If the soil is not right in these respects it m.iy 

 often be made so by thorough drainage and subsoil plowing. In fact, 

 land that is naturally quite unsuited to beet growing may, by these 

 means, coupled with the growing of deep rooted plants, like the 

 clovers, have its character so changed in a few seasons as to become 

 excellent beet land. 



Preparation of the soil. — The necessity of deep plowing cannot be 

 emphasized too much in this connection. The sugar beet should 

 bury itself in the soil the same as a parsnip, and it will do so if the 

 soil conditions are right. If, however, the subsurface soil is hard or 

 saturated with water the tap root cannot penetrate into it, or if it does 

 get down fairly well, it cannot expand freely in the hard soil, but 

 expands in the direction of least resistance, which being upwards the 

 result is a short root, a considerable portion of which grows above 

 the surface of the soil. This form of beet is objectionable not only 

 because the yield is necessarily less than with long, well formed roots, 

 but the beets are very much less valuable for sugar making. 



It is found that the upper portion of the beet, especially that part 

 that grows above ground, is less rich in sugar than the part growing 

 well in the soil, while this same part is highly charged with impurities 

 that interfere seriously with the manufacture of sugar. 



The factory people aim to keep the impurities down by requiring 

 that the portion of the beet growing above the surface of the ground 

 be cut off. The aim should be to so prepare the land that the root 

 can bury itself well in the soil. Thus will be secured not only a larger 

 yield, but a smaller percentage of waste in the crown removed (see 

 figures 148 and 149). Deep plowing is, therefore, essential, and 

 except where the subsoil is very porous it should be loosened with 

 a subsoil plow. In those localities where sugar beet growing is estab- 

 lished the practice of subsoiling has become general. 



It is best to plow the land deeply in the autumn, setting the plow to 

 turn up an inch or two of new soil. The action of the winter's frosts 

 will ameliorate this soil and render it fit for crop growing. Follow 

 the ordinary plow with a subsoil plow, breaking up, but not throwing 



