EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 22S 



SUGAR BEET INVESTIGATIONS. 



BY J. D. TOWAR. 



Bulletin 179. — Agricultural Department. 



SUMMARY. 



Sub-soil plowing practiced immediately before sowing the beets, owing perliaps^ to 

 the severe drouth which followed, resulted in the complete loss of the crop. 



Coarse manure applied some two months before sowing the beets resulted in increased, 

 yield and beets of a normal percentage of sugar. 



Carefully prepared home mixed fertilizer gave higher yields and better beets than, 

 stable manure. 



Nitrate of soda alone gave no marked increase in yield, but in combination with other- 

 elements generally increased the yield with a normal per cent of sugar. 



In every case, nitrate of soda gave higher yields than sulphate of ammonia. 



Wood ashes and salt increased the yield of beets slightly. 



One ton of air slaked lime per acre increased slightly the yield of beets on the 

 uplands without affecting the percentage of sugar. 



On muck land one ton of air slaked lime per acre, in combination with other ferti- 

 lizers, decreased the tonnage eleven per cent, and reduced the sugar content from 9.64 

 to 7.68 per cent. When lime was applied alone on muck land, increased applications in- 

 creased the tonnage of beets, but decreased the percentage of sugar. 



Early planting gave larger yields and slightly higher percentage of sugar. 



Clay loam soil produced the largest tonnage and the highest percentage of sugar, 

 followed by other soils in the order below, except that the tonnage on muck is next to 

 clay loam. Sandy loam, sand, clay, muck. 



During the past season there was a slight falling off in sugar content of growing 

 beets from October 19th to November 23d. 



SUGAR BEET EXPERIMENTS. 



The questions relating to soil, temperature, rainfall, length of season and other 

 attendant conditions, which bear on the farmers' interest in the sugar beet industry 

 of this State, have been discussed very fully in former publications of this station.* 

 The industry is now firmly established, and already problems pertaining to the business 

 of growing the crop are calling for solution. 



Some of the experiments already undertaken have been suggested by our o\vn 

 experience, while the need of others has been anticipated. The growing of beets con- 

 tinuously on the same ground has been progressing for two years with the view to 

 study insect enemies and fungous diseases that may develop under such practice, while 

 at the same time observations will be made on the growth of soil exhaustion and the 

 cultural effects that may follow. 



In the preparation of this bulletin, the work of analyzing fertilizers and testing 

 beets was done under the direction of Dr. R. C. Kedzie, to whom is due the credit for 

 that part of the work. 



* Bulletin 150, and special bulletins 8 and 10, Michigan Experiment Station. 

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