0.[C) HOW TO MAKE THE FARM PAY. 



Soil and Climate. The cultivation of the sugar beet is not, 

 like cane sugar, confined to any small section of country, but 

 flo Irishes in all the varieties of climate to be found in the 

 United States. Deep, rich soils, especially those abounding in 

 vegetable mould, produce large crops of beets. The black soils 

 of the West are well adapted to beet culture. Sandy ground, 

 if rich, gives an excellent quality of beets ricb in sugar. Any 

 soil that is dry, deep, and mellow, is suitable. A clayey, tena- 

 cious soil, stony land, and mineral soils, should be avoided. 

 Alluvial or bottom lands, overflowed yearly, are desirable, as 

 they require no artificial manure. All grain lands are not only 

 suitable, but are improved by the cultivation of the sugar beet. 



Manures should be applied to tbe preceding crops, rather 

 than directly. 



The virgin soils of the West do not at first require manure, 

 but the soils should be turned under, and one season's cultiva- 

 tion, at least, precede the beet. Human ordure is perhaps the 

 most effective fertilizer of this crop. There is an objection to 

 the ordure of sheep and hogs, on the ground that the salts con- 

 tained in them are injurious. "We are inclined, from all experi- 

 ments in that direction, to conclude that the ordure of cattle 

 should be preferred. Strawy manure, well rotted, is preferable 

 to unferraented manure, or manure Vithout straw. Stable ma- 

 nure, composted with muck, ashes, etc., as we have recom- 

 mended for wheat and root crops, is as efficacious here. The 

 only difference in the manures for this crop and any other root 

 crop is, that salt must be omitted, as it reifders the sugar more 

 difficult of extraction. Guano should not be used alone, but 

 composted with bone dust and superphosphate of lime. 



Bone dust, wood ashes, and lime, form a most excellent com- 

 post. Some fertilizers we deem to be absolutely necessary to 

 the perfection of this crop for a series of years, for stable ma- 



