592 Keport of the Department of Field Crops of the 



By cutting across the row with such a hoe, bunches were left 

 which could be thinned, leaving the plants from six to nine inches 

 apart. At the same time the soil was loosened around the plants 

 and all of the weeds removed. 



On June 15 the beets were cultivated with a one-horse Syracuse 

 harrow-tooth cultivator, and the final thinning commenced. 



It was intended to have the beets left eight inches apart in the 

 rows. It was found necessary in some cases, however, to vary 

 these distances on account of the spaces left by the seeder, and in 

 order to preserve the strongest plants. 



After the final thinning, the beets received another cultivation 

 to loosen the ground, as it had become more or less compacted by 

 rain and the passing of the men while thinning. After this but 

 one more cultivation with the horse cultivator was given, for the 

 beet tops covered the ground to such an extent that a horse could 

 not pass through without doing serious damage. The subsequent 

 hand labor was small, and would not have been considered 

 necessary by many growers, but in order to adhere to strictly 

 clean culture, men were sent through the field once to pull the 

 weeds that had escaped previous cultivation. This consumed 

 less than one day's time for two men, and at the time of harvest- 

 ing the crop the field was entirely clear of weeds. 



HARVESTING AND RESULTS. 



The harvesting of the beets began on September 22. Two 

 methods were tried; first, plowing three furrows for each row, 

 the third furrow turning out the beets, and plowing two furrows 

 for each row, after which the beets were pulled by hand. The last 

 named method seems preferable where the beets do not have too 

 long tap roots, because in the first method the small beets are 

 covered by the furrow and it is more work to uncover them by 

 hand than it is to pull them out when they are standing upright 

 and in plain sight. 



As the beets were pulled out they were thrown in heaps, and 

 men followed aud cut off the tops. The harvesting, which in- 

 cludes pulling, topping and hauling, was found to be the most 

 expensive operation connected with the growing of this crop. 



