THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY 145 



the same manner that oats or other small grain is drilled 

 and the rows show up in the same manner as they do. 



The small plants are allowed to grow thus for a period 

 of 10 days or two weeks and then the farm help go 

 into the field and commence thinning. This is a double 

 operation. The first is done with a wide hoe, the work- 

 men going along a row and at equal spaces cutting out 

 the intervening plants, thus leaving a small bunch of 

 plants at regular intervals along the row. This work is 

 accomplished as soon as possible so that the small plants 

 will have plenty of room to grow. The second opera- 

 tion is the thinning of the bunches down to one plant. 

 The workmen go along to each bunch and pick out all 

 the plants but the most lively one, and then the most care- 

 ful attention is given this plant, for if it dies there will 

 not be time to grow another to maturity in its place. The 

 beets require as early planting as possible and are sel- 

 dom harvested before the first frosts. 



The cultivation of the beet crop should be given great 

 care and the attention it needs at the time it needs it. 

 Beets are cultivated at least once each week by a special 

 cultivator which handles two rows at each trip across 

 the field. Shallow cultivation will prove to be the best if 

 the work is done frequently. It is impossible to cross- 

 work the field, so it will be necessary to go through the 

 field about two or three times during the season with the 

 hoe and cut out all weeds. The elimination of weeds 

 is necessary to give a proper beet growth. 



The beets are harvested as soon as they are ripe by 

 the use of a lifter. The size of the beets precludes the 

 possibility of pulling them by hand successfully. It will 

 be found advisable to clean off the soil to a certain extent 

 so that no losses may be had through inaccurate tare 

 weight at the factory. The beets may be left in the field 

 where thrown out by the lifter until the topping process 

 can be reached as frost will not have any injurious effect 



