THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



83 



inches deep with an ordinary plow, follow it with a good subsoil plow that will stir 

 the subsoil to a depth of 5 to 7 inches more, thus giving an open soil to a depth of 14 

 to 17 inches. This subsoiling is often neglected, but it is essential for two reasons : 

 (1) It gives a deep soil for the beet root to grow down into draining its food from 

 the lower depths, and also preventing the top of the root from growing out of the 

 ground; this makes a smooth conical beet of moderate size, richest in sugar and 

 easily harvested. When the land does not freeze, as in California, this plowing should 

 be done two or four months before seeding. 



In case the plowing has not been done in the fall, plow as early in the spring as 

 the ground will do to handle without sticking, for three reasons : 1, Because the 

 sooner the weeds are encouraged to grow, the more of them can be killed before 

 planting the beets; 2, because land plowed while the weather is cool will retain the 



OTHER STYLES OF SUBSOIL PLOWS. 



moisture much longer than it will if plowed during warm weather; 3, because it is 

 much better to allow the ground to settle as much as possible after plowing and be- 

 fore the preparation of the seed bed, so that it will become thoroughly packed, thus 

 insuring better and quicker germination. In the spring never throw up more than 

 two inches of soil that hat not been stirred before ; if your soil has never been plowed 

 over six inches, it is better to use a subsoil plow to loosen the ground to the proper 

 depth. These instructions refer only to spring plowing; when good land with deep 

 soil is plowed in the fall it makes little difference how much new soil is turned up, 

 as it would decay in winter through the action of the frost, but on thinner soils, this 

 trouble can always be obviated by the subsoiler. 



After spring plowing, harrow, or better, drag once immediately, and then leave 

 the ground as it is until the time to prepare the seed bed, thus allowing the weeds 

 to sprout. If the previous crop was corn, it is absolutely necessary to take the stalks 

 and roots off the ground in the right manner in order to permit of easy and proper 



