SUGAR BEET FOR STOCK FEEDING. 269 



Cost of ridging one acre, one man, boy and horse, two and one- 

 half hours $1 12 



Raking down ridges, one man one day 1 50 



Sowing, one man one-half day 15 



Whole cost of sowing one acre $3 37 



In planting I mark one way with a corn marker, drawing it in 



to thirty inches. The marking can be done by one man, horse and 



boy in one hour ; 



Costing $0 45 



Planting, one man two days 3 00 



Whole cost of planting $3 45 



Making a saving in cost by drilling of eight cents. By drilling 

 I use four pounds of seed per acre ; by planting, one and one-half 

 pounds is sufficient ; making a saving of two and one-half 

 pounds, which is at least $2.50. Another disadvantage by sowing 

 in drills is the increased amount of labor required in " bunching" 

 out the young plants, which will amount to at least two days 

 work, $3.00. The "singling" of the plants and other subse- 

 quent labor required in taking care of the crop, is about the same. 

 Quantity of Seed. One pound contains about seventeen thou- 

 sand seeds. These, though in appearance single, on opening 

 show that they contain from one to five black kidney-shaped 

 seeds ; thus what we call a seed will produce from one to five 

 plants, averaging at least two. If we sow in drills thirty inches 

 apart, one pound of seed will leave one. seed to each foot in the 

 row ; four pounds will leave four seeds, which number is none too 

 many to provide against all casualties to the seed. Four pounds 

 is the amount usually sown per acre. If planted in hills, eighteen 

 inches apart in the row, two seeds to each hill, it will take one 

 and one-third pounds, furnishing three or four plants to each hill. 

 Distances between Rows and Plants in the Row. I would not have 

 the distance between the rows less than two feet, nor more than 

 two and one-half feet. This latter distance I consider the best, 

 as it gives more space to run the cultivator. At this distance I 

 would have as many plants to the acre, for I would regulate the 

 distance in the row by the distance between the rows, — thus, if 

 the rows are two and one-half feet apart, let the plants stand 

 eighteen inches in the row, and if the rows are but two feet apart, 

 let the plants stand nearly two feet apart in the row. If they 

 stand 24 inches by 24 there will be 10,890 plants per aCre, 18 



