114 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



almost every case the yield of the subsequent growths was materially 

 lessened by this abuse of the land. This statement makes no war against 

 raising beets where they occupy a suitable place in the rotation. Other 

 considerations point most emphatically to the necessity of the adoption 

 on the part of farmers of a rotation in which beets shall be a regu- 

 lar factor. It seems to me more and more evident as years go by that 

 in America the progress of beet growing depends ujjon getting the farm- 

 ers to adopt a rotation in which beets shall be a regular and constant 

 factor, a factor as much expected and depended upon as wheat or corn 

 or clover. Then the factory will have its regular, uninterrupted supply 

 without the necessity of this. eternal solicitation on the part of paid 

 agents of the factory. Then, too, the farmer will make a study of the 

 business, consciously or unconsciously, as he has of wheat and corn and 

 will adopt the methods which experience teaches to be most profitable 

 and economical for the production of the crop. With Bulletin No. 215 

 the preliminary work with sugar beets is brought to a close. The 

 utility of further tests either in the direction of comparison of varieties 

 or of work as to distance apart of rows or of fertilizer tests does not 

 seem to be apparent. Should such work be continued it will necessarily 

 be at points away from the station because of the impossibility of find- 

 ing on the station grounds suitable soil on which to carry on the work. 

 A constant watch will be kept over the beet fields in the State to take 

 up at once the study of any new pests that may appear or any of the 

 older pests imported from the old country. 



The claims made by seedsmen and interested parties as to the value 

 of soy beans, cowpeas, and vetches, made it wise to take up a systematio 

 and careful study of these legumes. Variety tests in such matters are 

 of but little value since the. variety favored by the peculiar climatio 

 conditions of one year may be hindered by those for the year following. 

 For instance, where the season is long and the late frosts of spring are 

 absent with perhaps an autumn going into October without killing 

 frosts, the medium green soy will furnish not only the largest amount 

 of forage but the greatest yield of seed. In such a season the Ito San 

 will give the smallest yield of both forage or grain. On the other hand, 

 where the frosts are late in the spring and come early in the fall, the 

 medium green soy would mature no seed, while the Ito San might ripen 

 its seed perfectly. However, variety tests have been begun and will 

 be continued for two years more at least before results are published, 

 the work having already covered two years. These new crops are used 

 for two purposes, to supply feed, either forage or grain, to live stock, and 

 to plow under as green manure. To date our work has lain along the 

 latter line. Plots were set aside on which were sown either soy beans 

 or cowpeas or vetches, and for comparison clover and certain of the 

 cereals. These plots were duplicated on an adjoining area. From one 

 set of plots crops were harvested, from the other they were plowed 

 under entire. Both sets of plots were plowed under in the fall of 1903 

 and sown to wheat." The winter was so severe as to kill the wheat, 

 hence the plots were harrowed up in the spring of 1904 and sown to 

 oats. 



Not content with this examination of the question on a large area, 

 small plots of each of the legumes were dug up, the tops and roots 

 weighed and analyzed separately. The results are about ready for pub- 



