342 



1HE IRRIGATION AGE. 



with the shallower plantings to more than 

 one-third of the crop. The stand, yield 

 and quality were all better than in the 

 cases of shallower planting. 



7. Transplanting. Transplanted beets 

 are usually ill-shaped. The yield may be 

 good, percentage of sugar and purity high, 

 but the method would not be a financial 

 success. 



8. Different distances of thinning. The 

 results obtained show that the distance 

 apart of the beets, from four to ten inches, 

 has but sligh influence on the quality of 

 the crop as to sugar and purity. In a 

 general way the thicker stand tends to a 

 larger yield, but there are exceptions to 

 this statement. 



9. Different dates of thinning. The 

 results show that the thinning of beets 

 can be extended over a period of two 

 weeks without injury to the crop. 



10. Variety tests. Six varieties, Zehr- 

 ingen; Vilmorin's improved, grown in 

 Russia; Kleinwanzlebener, grown by Vil- 

 morin; Pitschke's Elite; Vilmorin's 

 French, very rich; and Schreiber's Elite 

 were grown side by side with Kleinwanz- 

 lebener, strain not given, with almost 

 identical results in percentage of sugar 

 and purity, the sugar ranging from 15 to 

 17.20 per cent., and the purity from 76 to 

 81.9. The average of all the samples 

 analyzed in this test is 16.04 per cent, 

 sugar, and 78.9 purity. 



11. Number of irrigations. At Rocky- 

 ford, beets were grown without irrigation, 

 with one, and with four irrigations. This 

 experiment was of little value, being de- 

 feated by the unusually heavy rains of 

 that season. 



At Pueblo, Mr. C. K. McHarg applied 

 water to one-half of some experimental 

 plots twice after the 20th of August, the 

 other half receiving none that date. The 

 two later irrigations produced an increase 

 of one-seventh in the weight of the crop, 

 and the percentage of sugar was increased; 

 beets from the half irrigated late, con- 



tained 16.42 per cent, sugar, 81.0 purity,, 

 and thos^ from the other half contained 

 15.79 per cent, sugar. 81.7 purity. 



12. American grown seed vs. imported, 

 seed. Two samples of American grown 

 seed were used, one grown in Utah and 

 the other in New Mexico, both were 

 strains of Kleinwanzlebener beets. The 

 imported seeds were the Original Klein- 

 wanzlebener, Vilmorin. Mangold and 

 Elite Kleinwanzlebener. 



The Elite Kleinwanzlebener and the 

 Vilmorin were sent us by the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture as the best beet 

 seed that they could get. The Original 

 Kleinwanzlebener was selected by the 

 Utah Sugar Company as, in their judg- 

 ment, the best brand of seed on the mar- 

 ket from which to raise their own seed. 

 The Utah grown seed produced a^ large a 

 crop and one richer in sugar and purity 

 than the average of these three. It ex- 

 cels its parent strain in richness and pur- 

 ity, and is but little inferior in quality of 

 crop. 



The New Mexico seed equals the Vil- 

 morin and is not far behind the original 

 Klein wanzleLener. 



The germinating quality qf the seed is 

 quite satisfactory. 



In 1899 the questions whose solution 

 were attempted were: 



Does it pay to subsoil? The results of 

 ten tests made at this Station show an 

 average gain of 18 per cent, in the weight 

 of the crop as the result of subsoiling. 



Is it advisable to plant the best seed 

 very early? The average crop from ten 

 plots sown between April 10th and 20th 

 was 27.7 tons; from ten plots sown be- 

 tween May 1st and 10th was 24.3 tons; 

 from ten plots sown between May 15th 

 and 26th was 20.5 tons; and from ten plots 

 sown between May 31st and June 10th 

 was 15.3. 



The percentage of sugar in these vari- 

 ous crops scarcely differed at all, 0.76 of 

 one per cent, being the maximum differ- 



