214 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



gets this done the better for his crop. The beets 

 are first spaced. This is done with a five or six 

 inch hoe, the man striking the hoe so it will cut 

 off the beets an inch below the surface, leaving 

 two inches of the row of beets between each hoe 

 mark. The spacing must be done quickly. A 

 good man will keep on a slow walk, a mile an 

 hour, and space as he goes. It does not pay to 

 strike the hoe twice in the same place. Keep a 

 file handy and have the hoe sharp. Files and 

 hoes are cheaper than labor. After a few rows 

 are spaced, the spacer learns to strike the hoe in 

 the row wherever desired. The spacer is fol- 

 lowed by thinner s. Pull out all but one beet, 

 disturbing the beet left in the ground as little as 

 possible. Leave the beets seven or eight inches 

 apart in the row. Some now advise leaving the 

 beets 10 or 12 inches apart in the rows. It is 

 not wise to leave more than one beet in a place, 

 as the two, if left, will not equal in weight a sin- 

 gle beet alone, and it is quicker at harvest time 

 to top a single large beet than two small ones. 

 In pulling the beets be sure to get them out by 

 the root. If the tops are pulled off, they will 

 grow again and your labor has been done in vain. 

 A good spry man will space and thin an acre in 

 three days. It takes most men four days or 

 more. 



CULTIVATION The cu i t i v ator should be started as soon as 

 the rows can be seen, using the "hoes" and "duck 



