320 MINNESOTA STATE HOR'TICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
is made very fine and smooth, and the planter run straight and at an 
even depth, so that the plants come up uniformly, half the battle can be 
won at the first and second hoeing. The middles between the rows must 
be looked after sharply at a very early date,and the time of hand weeding 
in the rows should not be Jeft too long. 
These earliest cultivations are very expensive if left until the weeds 
have the field, besides the crop should have the advantage at this time of 
as strong a solution of plant food as the soil can furnish, with no weeds 
to be using it. Beets are not unlike pigs, and stunting them early has a 
retarding effect on their future developement. When the beets are three 
to five inches high they should be thinned to six inches apart in the row. 
- The narrow onion hoe is of some assistance but part of the work must be 
done by hand. There is a temptation to leave weeding in the row until 
the final thinning eut, but I think it best to weed the rows and partly 
thin early and complete the thinning later. The cultivation should be 
complete as to the removal of weeds and making a fairly thick dust 
blanket until the leaves well cover the ground. Care should be exercised 
to not disturb the main roots, and there is no objection to hilling an 
inch er so. 
The beets reach their best at the time when there is the highest per- 
centage of sugar in the sap, and then slowly deteriorate if allowed to re- 
main in the ground. The sucrose turns to other less valuable forms of 
sugar,and the plant starts a new growth. There are several ways of tell- 
ing when to pull the beets. By keeping watch the leaves will be observed 
to change to a slightly yellowish green, the lower leaves will begin to 
droop and turn yellow and small new leaves will begin to start from the 
crowns of some plants. If left alittle too long new, white, tender roots 
will be found starting from either side down along the main root. 
When ripe, the common stirring plow should be run alongside of the 
row within an inch or so of the beets, and men following should pull the 
loosened beets out and toss them into piles. Here they can be topped—a 
common butcher knife is best—and carried into piles of twenty bushels, 
more or less. These piles can be made in round pits a footor less in depth, 
covered with cheap hay or straw and then with six inches of dirt; a wisp 
of hay placed in the top serves as a ventilating flue. Here the beets keep 
perfectly until cold enough to freeze them, and if they could be handled 
and manufactured after being frozen solid, here would be a good place to 
prevent thawing and freezing until ready to be used. 
Minnesota soil, climate, timber, mines and other natural advantages 
has resulted in much accumulation of capital. Enough of this to 
thoroughly try manufacturing beet sugar should be directed into building 
one or more factories at an early day. With the present county; and 
state’s willingness to help, I have strong hopes that the test will be made ~ 
on a large and practical plan, and next year is the time to make it. 
"2ST Wee 2 eres 
OMG wae 7 . 
