EXPERBIEXT STATION BULLETINS 



237 



Table of results, date oj planting. 



Date of planting, 1900. 



Yield 

 per acre. 



Lbs. 



Analyses. 



Average.. 

 1— 



18,450 

 15,9.50 

 18,630 

 20.870 

 20,220 

 18,970 

 15,640 



Per 



cent of 



sugar 



m 

 juice. 



Puritj' 



I Per 

 cent of 

 I sugar 

 i in the 

 ! beet. 



18,390 



13.41 

 14.33 

 13.22 

 13.03 

 13.09 

 13.99 

 13.36 



81.32 

 86.38 

 W.80 

 79.04 

 77.04 

 79.47 

 78.17 



13.49 80.89 



12.34 

 13.18 

 12.16 

 11.99 

 12.04 

 12.87 

 12.29 



12.41 



Value 



of crop 



per 



acre. 



$42 53 

 39 00 

 42 38 

 46 7G 

 45 60 

 45 39 

 35 97 



$42 66 



The yields are of beets trimmed and cleaned for factory purposes in accordance 

 with the methods employed in the tare room, while the price per ton is calculated 

 on the basis of .$4.50 per ton for 12 per cent beets and 331/3 cents for each additional 

 per cent, allowing 8 per cent marc for impurities in sugar in the juice. The sugar 

 in the beet is determined by multiplying the '"sugar in the juice" by 92 per cent. 



Xo explanation for the falling off in yield of plat 2 can be given except that for 

 some unaccountable reason there was not a perfect stand in all the rows. The 

 seed in the May 31st planting did not germinate perfectly, although the beets grew to 

 good size and showed a sugar content almost equal to the average. While the plant- 

 ings of May 10, 17 and 24 produced the largest yield and highest money value, it 

 does not signify that the earlier plantings are inadvisable. In 1899 the largest yield 

 was from an April 29 planting, while the highest money A^alue resulted from jjlanting 

 ;May 6. The results from two years' experiments give \is a range of practically 

 one month, extending from the last week of April to the last week of May when we 

 plant beet seed and reasonably expect at least a normal yield. Plantings made later 

 than May 25 are somewhat hazardous and may be considered safe only on hea\y soils 

 that insure a liberal supply of moisture. 



In justice to the sugar beet industry and to ourselves for conducting this experi- 

 ment, a word explaining why this experiment has been conducted three successive 

 years on this soil so illy adapted to the growth of this crop seems to be advisable. 

 There was a secondary object to determine if possible the danger of developing fungus 

 ■diseases or encouraging the propagation of insect enemies and the effect on the soil by 

 continued growtli of the beet crop on the same ground. So far our observations 

 fail to reveal anything of importance as a result of this practice except a slight 

 decrease in Aield. Occasionallv there were beets affected with crown gall, illustrated 

 on page 110 of Bulletin 179, but no more so than appeared on some other land that 

 bore its second crop of beets this year. No insect enemies have made their appearance 

 on the college fields to any noticeable extent. The leaf blight was more prevalent on 

 the early planted beets than on those planted at the later dates. 



DISTANCE APART OF ROWS. 



In connection with an experiment with fertilizers a trial was also made with rows 

 18, 21 and 24 inches apart. The conditions were such that a very fair trial of these 

 three methods was made. Tlie nature of the soil appeared to favor the 24-inch 

 rows for at one end of the field that part of the experiment was on ground slightly 

 lower and richer. About one acre of land was devoted to the 18-incli rows and a 

 half acre to each of the others. ' 



The results below are computed to acre areas: 



Rows 18 inches apart yielded 22,109 pounds beets per acre. 



Rows 21 inches apart yielded 23,271 pounds beets per acre. 



Rows 24 inches apart yielded 22,119 pounds beets per acre. 



In no case were the beets too large, while with the 18-inch rows they were under- 

 sized, incurring extra work in harvesting, handling and topping. It may be further 



