92 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



process of transplanting, and if the root is bent in 

 the planting, the beet will form badly, and in place 

 of liaving the shape of a cone will be deformed 

 and unthiiliy, wilh numerous roots filled with eartii, 

 which will be detrimental to the crop, whether 

 used Ibr Iceding cattle or employed to make sugar. 

 This mode of sowing should be thought of only 

 where eeed is scarce, the quantity to be sown not 

 great, and labor ea:3ily procured. 



Broadcast. This manner is the simplest, but 

 requires a large quantity of seed, and will he expen- 

 sive where that is dear, and seed in the European 

 market has on some occasions been five times 

 dearer than on others, in this practice it will be 

 found that six pounds of seed will be required 

 where two and a half or three would have been 

 enough when planted in drills by the hand. The 

 whole of the soil in the broad cast sowing is occu- 

 pied, but it is difficult and expensive to hoe the crop, 

 and keep it Ires of weeds, and the produce is never 

 as great as by the followmg method. 



Rows or drills. The little furrows into which 

 the seeds arc to be dropped are made by a har- 

 row, having the teeth at the distance one from 

 another that the rows of beets are intended to be 

 I'rom each other and the seed is dropped two or 

 three into the drills at the distance ol twelve to 

 eighteen inches apart from each other. This 

 work can be peribrmed by young people ; in 

 France it is most liequently done by women, as 

 more dependence can be placed in {liem then in 

 boys. After the planting is finished, the seeds 

 are covered by having a light harrow v/ith plentj' 

 of teeth in it drawn over the ground. In this way 

 there is a great saving of seed and the plants are 

 regularly spaced, t'uur wonien will plant an acre 

 in a day. Uy using a drill drawn by a iiorse, the 

 labor is very much abridged and the v/ork will be 

 expedited. This machine is very important to 

 those who plant large fields ; in tlie large sugar 

 making districts it is used with great success, ii is 

 of various lorms and merits ; the plants have not 

 yet been brought to this country. Some French 

 farmers place Uie rows twenty ibur inches apart, 

 perhaps thirty will be Ibund a more convenient dis- 

 tance (or the horse-hoe, cultivator, or harrow. 

 In fixing the distance that is to be between tiie 

 rows, reterence should be had to the kind of horse- 

 hoe (hat is to be used in keeping the crops free fiom 

 weeds. The distance in the row may be from 

 twelve to eighteen inches. When the plants are 

 far from each other the roots will grow to a large 

 size, and the coutrary will result iiom jjlanting 

 them close. By careful observation liirmers have 

 to learn the distance that will produce the lar<rest 

 quantity, and best quality of roots on Ihcir'^re- 

 epective soils. The seed should be planted at the 

 depth of from one to two inches. Experience has 

 proved, that at a tjreater depth, especially on heavy 

 soils, it is not sufficiently exposed to the action of 

 the air, sun and moisture; without which it will 

 not germinate well. 



Time nfsoioing. — This depends on the position 

 of the place and nature of the soil ; as a general 

 rule, the earlier the belter: provided, the Tand is 

 dry and in proper order, early sowing is particu- 

 larly impurtant when the object is to make suo-ar 

 because the roots arrive sooner at maturity and 

 allow the process of crashing to commence early. 

 In France it has been found that in September and 

 October the greatest quantity of sugar can be ex- 



tracted from the roots. In the United States, the 

 nature of the fall season is very suitable lor mak- 

 ing sugar. The season jbr working here will be 

 longer than it is in France, this will ilivor the 

 manufacture here when it becomes a business. In 

 Pennsylvanin, beet sovvn so late as the first ten 

 days of June came to perleclion ; bu' late sowing, 

 ex|)oses the young plants to be injured by the 

 drouylitof that season, and the heat of the sun ; 

 we have heaid of an instance where by accident 

 some beet seed hail been dropped in the lall and re- 

 mained in the ground all winter, and in spring vege- 

 tated well, and yielded a good crop. This accident 

 suggests the trying how tar it would answer to sow 

 apart of the crop in li:tll, so as to have an early crop, 

 and what the result would be of having from this 

 early sowing, the ground well covered with leaves 

 belbre the summer's hot sun comes on. If fall 

 sowing shall be Ibund to answer, it would be of 

 advantage to the farmer, by allowing him to have 

 a part of the spring work done in a season in which 

 he is not much hurried. This fall sowing should 

 not be performed until late in the season, when 

 all probability of warm weather has passed away, 

 so that there might not be heat to germinate the 

 seed belbre the cold and frost set in. 



Of Hoeing. — Few plants suH'er more than the 

 beet from neglect, and the baneful influence of 

 weeds in the first stages of its vegetation. The 

 ground therefore has to be kept free of weeds, and 

 it should be kept mellow during the first stages 

 of the plants' developement. Beets require one or 

 two hand thinnings, and as many hand hoeings. 

 The first of the hoeings should be about when lour 

 or five of the leaves have put out, the second 

 in Iiom three to five weeks afterivards. Here 

 it is proper to remark, that each of the burs that 

 are planted is a clusier containina; sometimes as 

 many as Ibur seeds; this is to be perceived by 

 breaking one of these burs, in it will be found se- 

 veral small grains of white flour, and each gives 

 out a separate plant. Mice are fond of this flour 

 and will destroy the seed if they can get at it. Alf 

 the plants sive one must be pulled up at the time 

 of hoeing; if not properly thinned there will be a 

 cluster of leaves but very small roots; where there 

 are blanks, they should be filled up with those 

 pulled up li'om where there are two many. Af- 

 ter the rows have been carefuli}' heed Irom weeds 

 and pro|)erly thinned, the horse-hoe, cultivator 

 or drill harrow can be advanlatreously run between 

 the rows. The horse- hoe, &c. has to be some 

 inches narrower than the distance from row to 

 row, and after each horse- hoeing, a person should 

 go alonij the rows with a hand hoe, and remove 

 the earth fiom such plants as may have hod it 

 thrown on them by the harrow, &c. If any of 

 the beets should show a dis|)osiiion to shoot out 

 into the seed stalk, this must be slopped by cut- 

 ting ofl' these stalks, because this growth would be 

 at the expense of the roof. Some persons pull off 

 a portion of the leaves to feed their cattle; the 

 leaves also make excellent greens for the table ; il 

 is probable that taking these leaves is some de- 

 triment to the roots. 



Harvesting. — The season for taking up the 

 roots will vary with circumstances and localities, 

 early and lale sowing, &c. &c. In France beets 

 ripen and the making of sugar commences about 

 the end of September or beginning of October, 

 and the evidences of the plant being ripe arc the 



