310 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the one of the series farthest west, was plowed and subsoiled April 17. 

 The plowing was done with an ordinary hand plow, which was followed 

 immediately by a subsoil plow (Fig. 4), which loosened the ground to a 

 depth of sixteen inches. The hand plow cut a furrow twelve inches wide 

 and eight inches deep. The subsoil plow loosened the soil eight to ten 

 inches below the bottom of the furrow made by the hand plow, but did 

 not move it from its place. The next furrow of the hand plow covered 

 this loosened dirt without mixing the soil and subsoil. 



The field had been in corn the year before, planted on an inverted 

 timothy sod which had been covered with a heavy coat of manure in 

 the fall of 1895. The field had been a meadow for the years 1893, 1894 

 and 1895. 



Fig. 4.— Subsoil Plow, Wiley, Farmers' Bulletin No. 52, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



Plots 9, 10, 11 and 12, lying parallel to Plot 8 and adjacent to it on the 

 east, were plowed and subsoiled on April 19 and 20. The amount of 

 time spent in plowing and subsoiling these plots was six hours with two 

 men and two teams, or twelve hours for one man and team, per plot. 

 Rain fell almost continuously from April 22 to May 5. On May 7, the 

 plots were harrowed thoroughly with a spring tooth harrow and later 

 with a lighter slanting tooth harrow, until the ground was in as fine 

 tilth as could be desired for an ideal garden. It was then marked in 

 rows twenty-two inches apart and perfectly straight. On May 8, the 

 beet seed was planted with a Planet Jr. garden drill (Fig. 5) as follows: 



Plot 8, west eighteen rows, 6£ lbs., Wohanka seed. 

 Plot 8, next twenty-two rows, 7^ lbs., Klein wanzlebener. 

 Plot 9, west thirty rows, 9.8 lbs., Original Kleinwanzlebener. 

 Plot 9, next ten rows, 3.5 lbs., Government Kleinwanzlebener. 

 Plot 10, west thirty-two rows, 9 lbs., Vilmorin's Improved La Plus 

 Riehe. 



Plot 10, remaining eight rows, 4 lbs., Government Kleinwanzlebener. 

 Plot 11, forty rows, 13.7 lbs., Government Kleinwanzlebener. 



