Coiiditions for Growing Sugar-Beets 51 



beets. The farmer wlio does not want to bother with the 

 crop from the time it is planted until it is ready to har- 

 vest had better devote himself to extensive crops; he 

 certainly cannot make a success in raising beets, — at 

 least not until he changes his methods. 



The sugar-beet is sensitive to the attention it receives. 

 It does not thrive under "horse-back" methods of farm- 

 ing. The farmer who would succeed with it must get 

 down on his knees and use his fingers, almost fondling each 

 plant. If he is not willing to do this, he will not be a 

 good beet farmer. 



The people of some communities are not adapted to the 

 raising of beets. They are not willing to give the personal 

 attention and the work that is required. If their chief 

 thought is to do as little work as possible and to make 

 their profit by selling the farm instead of tilling it, they 

 are not good beet farmers. In order for a community 

 to be successful at beet-raising, it must have the attitude 

 that a farm is a place on w^hich to raise crops and not a 

 place that is just held to be sold at the first opportunity. 

 For this reason new communities rarely succeed with 

 beets. Usually it is necessary to wait until those on the 

 land feel that they are established in a permanent home. 

 The period of good beet-farming does not come until 

 the days of boom and land sp)eculation have passed. 



The high sugar-content and purity of sugar-beets are 

 artificial characters produced by years of special culti- 

 vation, selection, and breeding. The quality of the crop 

 is, therefore, subject to modification by cultural methods. 

 It responds readily to good treatment, and as quickly 

 deteriorates under bad. A good farmer will succeed with 



