ROOT CROPS 28l 



is obtained chiefly by irrigation or by supplies of underground 

 water which furnish the necessary moisture conditions in the 

 soil. Often under the latter conditions excellent crops of sugar 

 beets are raised, where the rainfall is slight, without any irriga- 

 tion. Mangel-wurzels are especially adapted to the higher eleva- 

 tions of the North Atlantic states where the shortness of the 

 season and the danger from frost make the growing of maize 

 somewhat uncertain. They can withstand drought better than 

 other root crops. Beets may be grown on almost any type of 

 soil ranging from quite sandy to heavy loams, provided they are 

 fertile and sufficiently deep. 



349. Irrigation. It is generally customary to supply the 

 water by the row method rather than by flooding. The amount 

 of water and the time and number of applications vary greatly 

 with soil and climate. The important consideration is to supply 

 sufficient water to keep up a uniform and continuous growth 

 until the close of the season, but not to start a second growth 

 late in the season, because such growth will reduce the percent- 

 age of sugar. Under some conditions, one application made 

 just after the seed is planted may bring good results, while 

 under other conditions of climate or soil, several applications 

 at intervals throughout the growing season are more advisable. 

 At the Utah Station, with a rainfall of seven inches from 

 April to September inclusive, about 20 inches of water at five 

 applications gave larger yields of beets and higher percentage of 

 sugar than less or more water. 1 



350. Rotation. Beets may occupy the same place in the 

 rotation as that occupied by other inter-tilled crops, such as maize 

 or potatoes; that is, they may follow sod or another inter-tilled 

 crop which has been manured heavily, such as potatoes, cabbage, 

 or maize. Oats is the best grain to succeed them, since the roots 

 cannot be removed in time for fall grain. The land should be 



1 Utah Sta. Bui. No. 80 (1902), p. 177. 



