BEETS 



603 



PlowiiiiT 



The time, the depth, and the kind of 

 plowing done and the condition of the 

 ground at the time of plowing are all im- 

 portant factors in preparing the soil for 

 sugar beets. As a rule, the most satisfac- 

 tory time to plow for beets is in the fall, 

 for the reason that fall-plowed ground is 

 in better condition to receive the winter 

 moisture and consequently to respond to 

 the freezing and thawing action which 

 tends to put the soil in the best physical 

 and chemical condition for plant produc- 

 tion. 



In the irrigated sections plowing should 

 never be left until spring if it can pos- 

 sibly be done earlier. In the first place 

 the rush of spring w-ork is not favorable 

 to the best kind of plowing, but more im- 

 portant is the fact that stirring the 

 ground to such a depth so close to plant- 

 ing time promotes evaporation and often 

 the entire seed and root beds are com- 

 paratively dry before the seed is plant- 

 ed. 



If done in the fall, there is very little 

 danger of plowing too deep. Other things 

 being equal, plowing to a depth of 10 to 

 14 inches or more will give the best re- 

 sults. Subsoil plowing is not generally 

 practiced, and in cases where deep plow- 

 ing is done and the soil below the plowed 

 area is not too hard for the beet roots 

 to penetrate it readily subsoiling would 

 not pay for the labor and money expended. 

 Where for any reason the plowing can not 

 be done to the desired depth and the un- 

 derlying soil is hard, it will pay to run 

 the subsoil plow. 



Ground is in proper condition for plow- 

 ing when it is neither too wet nor too 

 dry. Under no circumstances should 

 ground be plowed when wet. since plow- 

 ing under such circumstances injures the 

 physical condition of the soil to an ex- 

 tent that often requires years to correct. 

 Plowing should always be done when the 

 ground is in what is called a friable con- 

 dition, that is, when it is capable of fall- 

 ing apart as the furrow is turned so that 

 there are no air spaces below, as Is the 

 case when the ground is too wet or when 

 it is dry and cloddy. 



The Seed and Root Beds 



The seed requires a uniformly fine, 

 firm, moist bed in order to produce a quick 

 and uniform germination, which is 

 especially desirable in beet culture. The 

 more quickly the seeds germinate, the 

 more certain is a good stand, which is the 

 first requirement of a satisfactory crop. 

 The plants require a fine. firm, moist, well- 

 aerated root bed in order to make a satis- 

 factory growth. The root bed must be fine 

 and firm because the plants must be held 

 firmly in place during their entire period 

 of growth, and the soil particles must be 

 closely in contact with the feeding root- 

 lets. The soil must be moist enough to 

 supply the plants with mineral food in 

 solution and with enough water to pro- 

 mote constant and rapid growth. 



At the same time there must not be in 

 the soil for any considerable period of 

 time so much water that a free inter- 

 change of soil gases can not take place. 



If the ground is properly plowed in the 

 fall when its physical condition is right, 

 the root bed will be fine and free from 

 air spaces. The winter moisture will usu- 

 ally pack the fall-plowed ground, so that 

 the root bed will be firm. In the absence 

 of natural winter rain or snow, winter ir- 

 rigation should be practiced; otherwise, 

 two of the most important objects of fall 

 plowing will be lost, namely, the firming 

 of the seed and root beds and the changes 

 in the soil due to freezing and thawing. 



If the ground is not plowed until spring, 

 the seed and root beds must be artificially 

 packed. This can best be done with a sub- 

 surface packer, which should follow im- 

 mediately behind the plow. The packer 

 should be followed immediately by the 

 harrow, in order to form the necessary 

 mulch and to retain the moisture in the 

 soil. This mulch should be maintained 

 until iJlanting time. when, if the seed bed 

 is not sufficiently firm, the roller and har- 

 row should be used until the proper de- 

 gree of firmness is produced. Due regard 

 should be given to the condition of the 

 soil when these implements are used, so 

 that the flocculent condition of the soil 

 is not destroyed. The ground should be 

 so firm before the seed is put into it that 



