144 THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY 



the larger part of the beet being water and the nitrogen 

 which is caught by the leaves and absorbed by the root. 

 But in the plowing, several methods are employed by 

 industrious raisers. Some use an ordinary breaking 

 plow and follow that with another plowing in its furrow, 

 thus necessitating covering the ground twice. Others use 

 a subsoiler. This is an attachment which is built into an 

 ordinary breaking plow and its function is to break up 

 the subsoil. This leaves the ground loose for the re- 

 quired distance. 



The more progressive farmers are now adopting the 

 deep tillage plow. This is a late invention that can be 

 be adjusted to plow from 16 to 24 inches in depth. It 

 takes from a 12 to 16-inch furrow in width and ac- 

 complishes its work as fast as the regular plow. By 

 using the subsoiling method of farming the use of about 

 three times as much land is possible and the value of the 

 productive possibilities is enhanced considerably. 



The plowing should be done as late in the fall as possi- 

 ble and the land allowed to lie thus all winter. As soon 

 as you can get into the fields in the spring give the land 

 an extra good harrowing, and then cross-harrow it. In 

 fact, put a garden finish on the field and the work of 

 seeding will be, materially lightened. Every hour and 

 dollar expended on preparation will be well repaid in the 

 reduced cost of cultivation later in the season. The man 

 who plows deep and gives the field a thorough dressing 

 is sure to get a good crop. 



The seeding is done with a special beet drill and the 

 average distance between the rows is 20 inches. This 

 is often varied, however, and some fields have given good 

 yields with the rows only 16 inches apart. Others plant 

 2 feet apart. It is merely a matter of the productive 

 capacity of the land and the degree of wealth the farmer 

 wants from the crop. The drill seeds the land in much 



