Circular No. 5. 345 



applied and plowed under in the fall. Muck or bottom land 

 soils while they might produce a large amount of beets, yet the 

 percentage of sugar would probably be low. Select well 

 drained upland, loamy soil or one with a fairly porous subsoil. 

 This will enable the beet to expand evenly and produce a 

 smooth, regularly developed root. Plow deep and early, har- 

 row once and then allow the land to remain without being dis- 

 turbed for a few days. This is to permit whatever weed seed 

 may be in the soil to sprout before planting the beets. Then 

 harrow again thoroughly and if heavy rains have packed the 

 soil, make it loose again with a cultivator or by shallow gang 

 plowing. After fining and pulverizing with the harrow use the 

 roller and follow the roller with a light, fine tooth harrow. This 

 fitting should be done just previous to planting the seeds. 



Mark off the rows by stretching a line across the plats, rows 

 to be 2 3^ feet apart. (See diagram for beets.) The two packages 

 of beet seed sent are sufficient to plant four plats of the dimen- 

 sions given in the diagram. Planting in this latitude may usually 

 be done from the first to the middle of May. Cover the seed 

 to a depth of about one inch and firm the earth over the rows 

 by means of a rake, leaving it firm but not packed smoothly. 



If weeds and grass start before the beets are up then hand 

 work must be resorted to, for it is absolutely essential that the 

 weeds be kept in check and the easiest way to do this is to check 

 them at the start. Should heavy rains cause a surface soil crust 

 to be formed, this crust must be broken up either by using a rake 

 or some light implement similar to a Breed's weeder. As soon 

 as the rows can be followed horse tillage should commence, the 

 implement used being one with many fine teeth (similar to one 

 shown in frontispiece of Cornell Bulletin 130). 



This experiment is one of tillage alone. (The fertilizer ex- 

 periments are described by Dr. Caldwell in Bulletin 129.) As 

 soon as the rows can be followed give all plats tillage with the 

 fine tooth implement. After the first time the tillage of the 

 plats is to vary in frequency. Plats A and C (see diagram) are 

 to receive tillage about every seven days and plats B and D only 

 about every fourteen days, so that every other time all plants 



