78 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



stock food us for sugar. In that country the leaves are sold to adulterate tobacco and 

 it is said that in some cases fully enough to pay for the expenses of cultivation. 



SOILS FOK THE SUGAR BEET. 



This plant thrives on a wide variety of soils. In Virginia, a warm clay or slaty 

 soil, mixed with some sand and having a depth of 15 inches or more, gave the best re- 

 sults. In other states where the industry is not yet established, experiment shows 

 that the plant thrives on nearly all kinds of lands. But never select poor land use 

 the best soils available. It seems to do best in these regions on what farmers ordina- 

 rily call good potato or corn land. The soil must be well drained, for while the beet 

 requires abundant moisture during the growing period, it does not thrive with "wet 

 feet." It therefore does much better in some soils than in others. The soil must 

 possess good depth, for the beet is a deep-rooting plant, going down 12 to 18 inches. 



In Nebraska, the best soil to produce a large tonnage is the so-called bottom land. 

 Hilly land produces generally a better quality, but does not come up as well in quan- 

 tity. The more lime the soil contains the richer the beets would be. Under no cir- 

 cumstances should seed be planted in soil which is sandy enough to blow. In Utah, 

 and also in the Pecos valley, where one has plenty of water for irrigation, a nice 

 sandy loam is preferred, but if the water supply is scant a clayey soil is better. 



In California, the rich, strong, sandy loams that produce heavy crops of wheat 

 and barley yield 15 to 25 tons of rich beets per acre under proper rotation, but lower 

 lands, when well drained of wet or that enjoy natural sub-irrigation from the lower 

 stores of water, are often still better. It has been found at Chino that even when the 

 lower or more moist lands contain as much as 12,000 Ibs of alkali salts per acre to the 

 depth of three feet, the beet does well in yield and quality, provided the amount of 

 common salt in the soil does not exceed 0.04 per cent or 1500 Ibs per acre to the depth 

 of three feet. But it is wisest to verify on a small scale the adaptability of doubtful 

 land before planting a large area of it. 



New land, by which we understand land that has only been broken one or two 

 years, should never be chosen for beets, as it produces a crop inferior in yield and 

 quality. In Utah, the best results in sugar and purity are obtained from land that has 

 been in small grain and the best tonnage is obtained from land that has previously 

 had potatoes. Alfalfa land is good for beets, provided two crops of small grain are 

 first grown upon it to get rid of the roots. For preparing new land for beets, noth- 

 ing is better than to first plant alfalfa or field peas, the latter to be plowed under 

 when in flower. Sage brush or mesquite land is excellent, provided it is thoroughly 

 subdued by preparatory crops, and can be irrigated. 



It is also important that the soil be such that the beets can be easily extracted 

 from the ground by a beet puller or plow without breaking the root and without hav- 

 ing a lot of soil adhere to it. In this particular, the sandy loam is ideal. To dig the 

 root from a clay or adobe soil is hard work; in such soils the beet tip often breaks off 

 when ripe, and much soil adheres to the beets, thus adding to the freight and to the 

 "tare." 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 



This is highly important. Beets may do well year after year on the same land, 

 especially if properly manured, but the constant draft upon the soil for the same pro- 



