EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 253 



thus good profits to liberal and careful cultivation. Beets should not 

 be hilled up, throw up just enough soil at the last cultivation to keep 

 the top of the beet from being greened by the sun. A last cultivation 

 should be made when the tops practically cover the row. Do not culti- 

 vate too deep or too close to the row at this time. A few leaves may 

 be broken off, but this slight damage will be more than offset by the 

 increased yield due to the tillage operation. 



The careful grower cultivates close to the rows early in the season and 

 gets all the weeds possible by means of machinery. Weeds should be 

 thoroughly cleared out. 



HARVESTING SUGAR BEETS 



Since beets make rapid growth in the fall and store more sugar at 

 that time, they should be left in the field until the right stage of ma- 

 turity is reached. Maturity is indicated by the browning of the lower 

 leaves, or by a wilted or drooping appearance of the plants. Tests of 

 sugar content are made by factory experts, and notice is usually given 

 to the grower as to when to begin harvest. Harvesting usually begins 

 in late September and continues through October. A special harvest- 

 ing implement, known as "a beet lifter" is used in raising the beets in the 

 rows. Two types of beet lifters are in use. The older type has a single 

 share which slides between the rows, slightly to one side, raising the 

 beets during its passage; the other, a more eflScient type, is equipped 

 with two shares, which pass on either side of the row. Both implements 

 raise the beets so that they are easily pulled by hand. 



After lifting, the beets are pulled by hand, care being taken to knock 

 off clinging dirt by striking the beets together, a bunch in each hand. 



The usual practice is to throw the lifted beets from 16 to 18 rows 

 into piles, the topping being done from the heaps so collected. A heavy 

 regular beet topping knife is used in topping. The crowns are cut off at 

 the base of the last leaf or slightly above the sun line. The topped beets 

 are thrown into heaps and covered with tops to prevent excessive loss of 

 moisture. As soon as possible they should be hauled to loading stations 

 or factories to prevent drying and freezing. Repeated freezing and 

 thawing makes sugar extraction difficult. 



It is important both to the grower and manufacturer that beets be 

 carefully topped. The crown and leaves of the sugar beet are relatively 

 high in potash and phosphoric acid, and by retaining them on the land 

 or feeding on the farm, much of the mineral fertility contained in the 

 beet crop is returned. The salts contained in the crown prevent the 

 proper crystalization in the process of sugar manufacture. Considering 

 this, and the fact that the sugar content of that portion of the beet above 

 ground is low, it is apparent that careful topping must be insisted upon 

 by the manufacturer, and he is fully justified in deducting the amount 

 of tare due to poor topping. 



Average yields per acre range from 8 to 10 tons, but good growers 

 frequently secure 12 to 14 tons and exceptional fields yield from 16 to 18 

 tons per acre. 



