88 The Sugar-Beet in America 



Principles of good rotations. 



No one rotation is good under all conditions ; soil type, 

 climate, markets, and many other factors must be con- 

 sidered when planning a rotation. A number of cardinal 

 principles, however, if kept in mind, will be of considerable 

 assistance. 



It is first necessary to decide what crops can best be 

 grown under the conditions and what area of each crop 

 it is best to grow. The following principles should then 

 be observed : (1) raise about the same acreage of each crop 

 every year ; (2) have at least one cash crop ; (3) include 

 a legume crop in the rotation; (4) alternate tilled and 

 non-tilled crops; (5) alternate deep- and shallow-rooted 

 crops; (6) alternate exhaustive and restorative crops; 

 (7) include crops that together will make the best use of 

 irrigation water, labor, and equipment ; (8) a forage crop 

 should be included ; (9) follow the best sequence of crops ; 

 and (10) add manure to the right crop in the rotation. 

 It is not always possible to conform to all these rules, 

 but they may serve as useful guides. 



Rotations with sugar-beets. 



The rotation that should be practiced varies with so 

 many conditions that the naming of any particular one 

 to include sugar-beets may be misleading. It must be 

 remembered, therefore, that no rotation is best for all 

 conditions. Some of the factors that influence the rota- 

 tion are : (1) kind of soil, (2) the kind of crops that can 

 be raised profitably in the region, (3) the proportion of 

 the farm that is to be planned to beets, (4) the amount of 

 fertilizer available, (5) the number of live-stock kept on 



