156 ELEMENTAEY AGEICULTUEE 



only within a short time that beet sugar has been 

 made in the United States. The soil and climate of 

 the greater part of onr country will raise the sngar 

 beet. The labor required to produce beets is much 



Courtesy of Santa Fe R. R. 



Fig. 85. A field of sugar leets. 



more than that required for an equal crop of corn, 

 wheat, or potatoes; but the income is much greater. 

 Preparation and Soil. The land for sugar beets 

 must be a rich, deep soil. Plenty of moisture is 

 needed while the plants are growing, and dry, warm 

 weather when ripening. If sugar beets are to follow 

 a grain crop, the land should be plowed lightly as 

 soon as the grain is harvested. The ground is then 

 dressed with a coat of manure, and later in the 

 season it is plowed deep. The sub soiling plow that 

 loosens the earth to a depth from fourteen to 

 eighteen inches, enables beets to reach down into the 



