212 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



Tillage for Beets. Land for beets should be taken in 

 hand early. If it has not been summer fallowed the pre- 

 vious 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 be 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. 



Planting. Sugar beets are grown in drills about 18 to 

 20 inches apart. Seeding is done with machines. Cover- 

 ing should be as shallow as will bring the seed into soil, 

 which will remain moist ; depth depends upon earliness of 

 sowing, character of soil, as already explained in other 

 connections. Sometimes it is desirable to cover as deeply 

 as two inches; sometimes, and usually, perhaps, one inch 

 or a little less. In late sowings, when the surface has be- 

 come quite dry, an attachment to the drill which pushes 

 aside part of the dry surface and brings the seed into moist 

 soil without running too deep, has been found valuable. 

 The greatest care should be taken to have the rows 

 straight. Possibly most beets are grown in crooked rows, 

 as it has long been said of corn, but the whole after course 

 of the field is improved by running the drill straight. It 

 is desirable to have a rain just after planting, unless the 



