104 The Sugar-Beet in America 



kill the sod plant and to promote the decay of roots and 

 crowns. Considerable attention must also be given to 

 stirring the land deeply in order that the beet root may 

 have a mellow soil in which to grow. If potatoes or a 

 root crop have been grown on the land, the soil will al- 

 ready be loosened to considerable depth and there will be 

 no coarse plant residues to care for. Under these con- 

 ditions, the preparation of a seed-bed for beets is com- 

 paratively simple. In planning a rotation in which sugar- 

 beets are included, this question should be given due 

 consideration, particularly in arranging the order in which 

 the crops should follow each other. This is discussed 

 more fully in Chapter VI. 



REASONS FOR PLOWING 



The most fundamental operation in the preparation 

 of the seed-bed is plowing. One of the distinguishing 

 features between the agriculture of the savage and that 

 of civilized man is the difference in plowing: the one 

 merely scratches the land sufficiently to get the seed 

 planted ; the other stirs and pulverizes the entire surface 

 layer of soil. In this process many desirable results are 

 obtained : the structure, or tilth, of the soil is improved ; 

 air is better able to penetrate to the roots; undesirable 

 plants and weeds are killed ; manure, stubble, and other 

 plant residues are covered and decay is thereby hastened ; 

 and moisture is conserved. 



Every plant requires for its best growth that looseness 

 of soil which permits a free passage of air and an easy 

 penetration of roots. This is particularly true of sugar- 



