ROOT AND VEGETABLE CROPS 215 



Root and vegetable crops often do well on alkali lands, 

 although some are rather sensitive and some, such as 

 beets and potatoes, suffer in quality when excessive alkali 

 is present. 



Sugar-beets have been found to be one of the most satis- 

 factory crops grown on alkali lands in the United States. 

 After they are once well started they will endure enormous 

 quantities of alkali. Trouble is sometimes experienced 

 in getting a stand where the soil contains more than 2000 

 to 3000 parts per million of white alkali or about 500 

 parts per million of black. The quality of the roots is 

 impaired for sugar-making when the alkali consists of 

 sodium chloride or nitrates in appreciable quantities. In 

 alkali soils, such as those of certain sections of Colorado 

 and California in which nitrates form an appreciable 

 quantity of salts, the beets are often over-sized and low 

 in sucrose and purity of the juices. Headden (9) holds 

 that ordinary alkali, essentially sulphates, are not det- 

 rimental, but even comparatively small quantities of 

 nitrates cause injury to the quality of the beets. 



As sugar-beets, after passing the delicate seedling stage, 

 feed rather deep in the soil the quantity of alkali that may 

 be present in the surface of the beet land may be very 

 great. Jensen and Strahorn (16) found beets apparently 

 doing well in a soil, the top foot of which contained about 

 30,000 parts per million of alkali, a large part of which 

 was sodium chloride. During the earlier part of the season, 

 these beets were barely able to withstand 15,000 parts 

 per million of alkali in the upper foot even though the 

 moisture content of the soil was rather high. It is fre- 

 quently possible to get a stand of beets by giving the 

 land a heavy irrigation to drive the alkali below, just 

 before planting. After getting started beets will endure 



