PLANTING AND CULTIVATION 175 



are of great advantage. To get the largest profits there must be 

 the use of the most capacious planting, cultivating and harvesting 

 appliances, and all these are best suited to level or gently sloping 

 lands. As most of these lands, except in coast valleys, lie in regions 

 of moderate rainfall there is seldom the need of underdrainage, but 

 the problem is rather one of moisture conservation, and- that is in 

 most cases easily accomplished by cultivation, to the extent required 

 by the beet which roots deeply and draws its moisture from a large 

 soil volume. Where it may be necessary to concentrate the rainfall 

 of two seasons for one crop, the method of a constantly stirred sum- 

 mer fallow, which insures a crop of grain in spite of low rainfall, 

 will do the same for a crop of beets, providing the relatively deeper 

 cultivation required by the beet is given. 



Though nearly all fertile soils will grow good sugar beets if well 

 tilled for moisture retention and for root penetration and expan- 

 sion, a rich, sandy loam, deeply worked and with medium moisture 

 conditions, is the ideal for the purpose. Sandy soils, which dry out 

 in spite of cultivation, are available for beet growing by careful 

 irrigation. Heavy, wet soils may be put into condition by under- 

 drainage and cultivation, but there are such vast areas of soils 

 which will suit the beet without either irrigation or drainage, it is 

 probable that improvements in these lines will be left for the future. 

 Tillage for Beets. Land for beets should be taken in hand 

 early. If it has not been summer-fallowed the previous summer, 

 it may receive a shallow plowing early in the fall, being left rough to 

 receive the rainfall. As soon as the heaviest and coldest rains of the 

 season are over in the locality a deep plowing should be given, so 

 as to secure a seed bed of ten or twelve inches depth of stirred soil. 

 This practice is best for coast valleys, where spring rains after 

 the plowing are likely to be sufficient to restore to the soil a proper 

 degree of compactness. In light, open soils, with scant spring rains, 

 the first plowing should be deep and the second shallow for fear 

 of leaving the lower strata too open. It is often good practice to 

 rely upon one good plowing early in the winter, followed by the 

 use of the chisel cultivator, harrow and clod-crusher, to bring the 

 surface into fine mellow condition to receive the seed. Modification 

 of methods must me made according to local soil and rainfall, but 

 the condition to be aimed at is deep stirring, lower strata, moist but 

 not wet, surface fine and moisture near it, but not disposed to bake 

 or crust with rains, which may follow sowing. 



