Harvesting 155 



vester. The tops are delivered, separate from the roots, 

 and left in windrows or piles. 



This latter type of machine moves under its own 

 power, using a light-weight, high-speed gasoline engine. 

 The first type described is drawn by a team and requires 

 about the same power to propel it as does a mowing ma- 

 chine that is cutting alfalfa. 



HAULING (PLATES xv, xvi) 



Beets are taken to the factory or to the railroad load- 

 ing stations in wagons which are usually fitted with 

 special racks. The ordinary wagon box can be used, but 

 much labor is saved by having a rack made for the pur- 

 pose. The beets are thrown from the field piles into the 

 wagon by hand or with a beet fork. If no dumps are 

 available, the beets must be thrown from the wagon into 

 cars or into pile silos with a fork. Hand unloading in- 

 volves considerable hand labor, but fortunately it has to 

 be resorted to in a few places only. In most of the beet- 

 producing sections, conveniences for lessening hand labor 

 are at hand. 



A number of types of beet racks are used : some merely 

 let down the sides ; others provide for the entire rack to 

 turn on an axis and dump out the beets. These racks 

 are made to hold from two to seven tons and average about 

 four tons. Nets are sometimes used to help in unload- 

 ing. These are placed in the rack before the beets are 

 loaded, and with their aid the entire load may be lifted 

 off at once. 



Different companies have various methods of han- 



