SUGAR BEETS, POTATOES, ETC. 291 



greatly benefited by winter irrigation. The land is bare 

 in fall .and winter so that irrigation cannot injure the 

 crop, and the soil is invariably benefited by late irriga- 

 tions, providing the natural rainfall of fall, winter and 

 spring is not sufficient to saturate the soil to the full 

 depth of root-action. Where the winters are dry, 

 winter irrigation of sugar beets has been found very 

 profitable. 



There should be water enough hi the soil in the spring 

 to germinate the plants without further irrigation. If, at 

 the time of seeding, there is not sufficient water in the 

 soil to insure rapid and complete germination, it becomes 

 necessary to apply water just before or after seeding. 

 Whether such irrigation for germination should be before 

 or after seeding is still undecided. In some sections the 

 general practice is to irrigate before seeding; in other 

 sections, excellent results are obtained by irrigations 

 after seeding. 



The first irrigation should be postponed as long as 

 possible after planting, as early irrigations bring the 

 root-system to the surface and produce a turnip-shaped 

 beet with a heavy growth of leaves, which hi turn means a 

 large, wasteful use of water later in the season. The sugar 

 beet makes its most rapid growth after late spring and 

 early summer, so that the crop has little need of water 

 early hi the season. Evaporation is great from the large 

 leaf surface, and the leaves occasionally wilt slightly 

 toward the end of a hot day. This may occur on soils well 

 supplied with water, and implies only that water cannot 

 be drawn from the soil as rapidly as it is evaporated from 

 the leaves. If, in the morning, there is no evidence of 

 wilting, no fear need be had about the condition of the 

 crop, and the next irrigation need not be hurried along; 



