Production of Sugar-Beet Seed 225 



placing the beets in tlie silo it is a good plan to remove the 

 tops, leaving enough of the crown and tops to permit 

 growth to begin the next spring. If mother beets are 

 allowed to wilt before they are planted, the yield of seed 

 is greatly reduced. Likewise, if they are not put into the 

 silos fresh, the keeping quality is not so good. Beets to 

 be siloed should usually be left in the fields as long as 

 possible before digging, keeping in mind the injury that 

 may result from frost. 



The methods of siloing vary considerably with the in- 

 tensity of the winter cold. In some climates beets live 

 over winter in the field and will produce seed without 

 being dug and siloed. This is not the case, however, in 

 most of the best seed-producing sections. The tempera- 

 ture of the beets in the silo should be taken at intervals 

 during the winter to serve as a guide to the amount of 

 covering needed. 



Planting mother beets. 



The stecklinge can be planted considerably earlier in 

 the spring than the best seed, since the old beets are not 

 as sensitive to frost as are seedlings. It is probably need- 

 less to say that the land should have been plowed deeply. 

 Experiments with a number of methods of planting and 

 distances between plants have been made and the follow- 

 ing method adopted as a result : 



The land is marked each way about thirty inches apart 

 and a beet dropped at each crossing of the marks. The 

 best distance apart will, of course, depend on conditions. 

 A long spade is pushed into the ground and the beet put 

 in behind or in front of the spade when it is moved for- 



Q 



