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STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



HOEING AND CULTIVATING 



The first cultivation should come immediately before blocking and 

 thinning. In about 10 days to two weeks after blocking and thinning, 

 the first hoeing should be made, the dirt being drawn carefully around 

 the plants without covering the crowns. Cultipackers and rollers are 

 often used, with good results, after blocking and thinning to smooth 

 over and level off the dirt hoed into the middle of the row. This makes it 

 much easier to cultivate in the proper manner the first time after block- 

 ing and thinning. Cultivation should be given every week or 10 days, 

 until the beet leaves block the rows. Usually from four to six culti- 

 vations and two hoeings are necessary to keep a beet field free of weeds. 

 The first and second cultivations should be close to the plants and may 

 be fairly deep between rows, but later cultivation should be to shallow 

 depth, or not more than two or three inches deep, so as not to prune 

 the feeding roots of the beet plant, which tend to interlace between the 

 rows near the surface after thirty-five or forty days' growth. 



Clean cultivation is rewarded by thrifty growth and increased yields. 



The cultivation of the beets is best handled by the use of the regular 

 two or four-row beet cultivator. Disc or knife weeders and deer tongues 

 may be used for the first two cultivations. After that remove disc weed- 

 ers and use knife weeders and deer tongues, or deer tongues alone. 

 Duck feet should be used with care as they are apt to cover up the beets 

 and weeds in the beet row, thus making it difficult to do the hand work. 



Beets should be cultivated once before thinning and four to five times 

 after to keep the ground loose and retain the moisture. Do not be afraid 

 to cultivate too many times. Many growers owe their good yields and 



