Sugar Bekt Investigations for 1898. 425 



importance of thorough preparation of the land and thorough 

 tillage. 



It has been quite generally advised in the past not to grow 

 beets on sod ground. But the experience of the last two seasons 

 leads to the conclusion that sod, both clover and other, makes 

 desirable beet land in New York. Unusual care, however, must 

 be taken in the preparation of sod land for beets. It should be 

 plowed early, the autumn or summer before is preferable, and 

 very thoroughly fitted. If plowed late, the interposition of the 

 inverted sod between the subsoil and the seed bed will prevent 

 the free rise of moisture for a time, and should dry weather fol- 

 low planting, germination and growth will be much retarded. 

 Almost total failures clearly attributable to this cause were 

 observed the past season. It will be observed that among the 

 crops noted, buckwheat seems to be the least desirable to precede 

 beets. It is not thought that the buckwheat itself is in any way 

 harmful to the beet crop, but buckwheat is rarely planted on the 

 best lands and it is assumed that the fertility of these fields is 

 lower than that of fields that had been planted to other crops. 

 In general it may be stated that the more exacting, as to fertility 

 and tillage any crop is, the more desirable it is as a preparatory 

 crop for beets. 



Enemies of the beet crop. — In certain quarters, during the sea- 

 son, three species of insects were found preying upon the plants 

 and the indications were that they might, under favorable con- 

 ditions become destructive. So far as observed no considerable 

 amount of damage was inflicted by any one of them during the 

 past season. 



The banded flea-beetle {Syste7ia taeiiiata) was found quite 

 abundantly at LeRoy and Darien in Genesee County, where it 

 wrought some damage to several fields of beets. The blue-flea- 

 beetle {Systena hudsonias) was found on the beet field at the 

 University Farm, but did not appear in sufficient numbers to 

 inflict serious damage. The beet-leaf miner [Pegomyia vicind) 

 was observed in many fields, but in no case in sufficient num- 

 bers to result seriously. The entomological division has these 

 pests and some others under close surveillance, and should they 

 prove troublesome will no doubt be able to suggest methods of 

 successful combat. 



