COST OF RAISING SUGAR BEETS AND 

 OTHER ROOTS. 

 In examining an estimate of the expenses of 

 making beet sugar in this country, many farmers 

 will consider that the expense of raising the roots 

 is reckoned too low ; this is owing to the little at- 

 tention that has been paid to root crops ; and to 

 farmers in general not beini,' acquainte<l with the 

 best and most economical method of culture, and 

 not having machines and implements to enable 

 them to manage the growing of root crops to ad- 

 vantage. 



These unfavorable opinions will in a measure 

 continue, till root culture is more in practice, for 

 though cases are stated of crops raised at a small 

 expense, they will be regarded as extraordinary ca- 

 ses, and estimates made on paper, in which no er- 

 ror can be pointed out, will be looked upon as 

 something uncertain; yet these favorable accounts 

 will lead the enterprising and intelligent to try and 

 see whether these things are so, and although their 

 expectations may not always be realized, yet they 

 will find a great advantage in attending to root cul- 

 ture and be led to inquire into the most frugal meth- 

 od of pursuing it. Farmers who dig up a small 

 patch and sow it in beets, and do not weed it till 

 there are five hundred weeds to one plant, may 

 find that the cost of raising a bushel of beets is one 

 dollar, when with prudential management in rais- 

 ing on a large scale, ten or twelve bushels could 

 be raised with this expense. 



In raising beets and some other crops in a gar- 

 den, we have ruuiiaged to do the weeding before 

 sowing, and findithat it is a great saving of labor ; 

 that is, pursue that manner cf culture that will de- 

 stroy the weeds before the seed is sown ; and the 

 same plan may be followed in field culture, and 

 even to greater advantage, as most of the labor can 

 be done by animal labor, which is much cheaper 

 than manual labor in this country, and this as has 



A piece should be selected that can be ploughed 

 deep, and the stones, if any, removed. If there has 

 not been sufficient manure applied to the previous 

 crop, apply the manure and plough the ground very 

 deep in the fall, if it cannot he done at this season, 

 then as early as possible in the spring. When the 

 weeds have started, go over it with a cultivator, 

 and in a few weeks go over it again in the same 

 way ; this will loosen and pulverize the soil and 

 destroy the weeds. From the 20th of May to the 

 1st of June, let the earth be thoroughly stirred with 

 a cultivator, or if the soil be not very loose it may 

 be well to plough it again, then go over it with a 

 light harrow to make the surfaco level and smooth, 

 and the soil fine : be ready to sow as soon as the 

 ground is prepared, while the surface is moist, and 



that the plants may get the start of the weeds. 



Pour water as hot as can be borne by the hand on 

 the seed, and let it soak a day and a half or two 



days, then it will vegetate and be up, and the plants ■"'" '"1";"'^"^^' '^"" '^e most prudent.al manage- 

 w.ll be lar^e enou.h to hoe bef^.X r!l f:'" """:" '" ^^e culture, with labor at a moderate price, 



will be large enough to hoe before the few weeds 

 that are liable to grow, get up so as to be much 

 trouble. 



Hoeing again and loosening the ground 



with machines, g qq 



Harvesting g qq 



$40 00 

 Make the rows 2 feet 4 inches apart, and then a 

 cultivator can be used in hoeing, If the beets 

 stand one foot apart in the rows, and weigh 2 1-4 

 lbs. each, the yield will be 20 tons. In rich ground 

 at that distance, a great number will weigh 4 or 

 5 lbs. each ; twenty tons is a good crop, but not 

 extremely large, for in some cases 25 or .30 tons to 

 the acre have been raised in this country. At the 

 above expense of 40 dollars to the acre with a yield 

 of 20 tons, the cost would be two dollars per ton. 

 We make this estimate to show how cheap beets 

 may be raised under favorable circumstances, such 

 as good land at a fair price, convenient machinery 

 and implements, and the most prudential manage- 



been observed in the articles lately published on j^ ^""^ ^"'""^' ^"^"^ '"''^ cheaper here than in 

 the subject, will enable us to laise beets as cheap I "^n'^^' '^"'^ ^^ 'ii"<='> 'at""" f^n be done here by an- 



the subject, will enable us to laise beets as ciicap 

 as they are raised in France. 



Our .i.ethod has been to put on the manure and 



Sov,^ the seed with a machine and the expense 

 will be light. Let the rows be from two to two 

 and a half feet apart, then a light cultivator may be 

 used between the rows ; in thinning the plants let 

 them stand about one foot apart. If any places 

 are vacant from the seed not growing or the grub 

 worm.s eating them, the deficiency may be supplied 

 by transplanting: though transplanted beets do 

 not form so handsome a root, yet they yield about 

 as much as the other. The expense for weeding 

 and loosening the soil will not be great. In bar"^ 

 vesting, if the beets cannot be pulled easily, a fur- 

 row may be ploughed near each row with a horse 

 plough, then they may be pulled with little labor. 

 By this, or some better way if it can be devised, 

 beets may be raised at a small expense, and as 

 lands and animal labor are cheaper here than in 



mals which is performed tiiere by the hands, we 

 think our advantages are equal to those of France 

 in the cheapness of manual labor. But supposino- 



stir up the ground in the fall or eaj-ly in the sprincr i '" *° f-heapness of .nanual labor. But supposing 

 —the former is preferable, as the frost will loosen "'"■ '"'^'"'tages in raising the beets are not equal as 

 the soil and make it mellow, and the weeds will ' '" " '^^^'^^ production, we have reckoned the ex- 

 start in the spring before the soil is dry enough to ! f"^"^" '^'^'"^'" '" "^"^ calculations we have publish- 

 work : when the weeds were well started, we work- j '^'^' ^^ ^^ '° conform to a fair estimate on all ex- 

 ed the ground over again. About the 20th of May P*""""'' ^"^^"''^'^ of *3 20 per ton as in France, 

 the ground was well worked over, and the seed "'^ '"'^® reckoned at 83 per ton. No calculation 

 sown, after being soaked, so that it would come up °" '^'"' ^^P'^"-'" of raising beets or other crops can 

 in a short time ; the plants were up ajid large ""^ ^'"^^'^ e.'factly suited to all parts of the country, 

 enough to hoe when scarcely any weeds appeare'd, i '^^ ''^'^ P""'^^ of labor and land are ditferent. Near 

 the hoeing was done in a short time, the soil being ' !^"'°* ^""^ ^'^'^S^ towns, and near the seaboard, ow- 

 very light and mellow, and there was but ijule i '"=.'" =°°''. '""'^■""'^o''^ f'"" markets and ccmmuni- 

 tronble on account of weeds through the season, , 



they having been mostly destroyed before sowin<r. I °- ■=°"''se, than in the interior ; 

 If this plan should be pursued in field culture. It '°° '^ "^"^^^ ''""^'^"''""'^'Sher. 

 would save nearly one-half of the expense. One 

 hour's work with a horse and cultivator in stirring 

 the earth and destroying weeds before sowing, 

 would save several days in hoeini. 



The following method of culture for a field crop, , 

 would be very economical as to weeding, which | 

 seems to be the most expensive part of cultivation. 

 A piece of land, a deep mellow soil, that has been 

 well manured and planted one year in corn or po- 

 tatoes, would he in good condition for a beet crop. 

 If it has been ploughed more than one year, there 

 would be danger from tlie grub worm, wliich we be- 

 lieve is the principal injury from insects to which 

 the sugar beet is liable. 



cation, lands are higher, and the rent of them more, 

 of course, than in the interior; in such cases labor 

 is usually somewhathigher. 



Esiimated Expense of oil acre of Sugar Be.ets. 



Use of an acre of hind well prepared for beets 



and manured, or managed in the previous crop 



$'J2 00 

 Ploughing 4 QQ 



Cultivator-ing-, horse, cultivator and hrind 



two hou.-s 

 'i wice more before sowing 

 Harrowing 



Seed .S3 25, sowing wiih a machine 75 

 First hoeing 

 Second hoeing, thinning, and transplantin 



to supply deficiencies 



50 



1 00 



50 



3 00 



4 00 



4 00 



and a favorable season. We have no doubt that in 

 some parts of New England beets could be produc- 

 ed in great abundance at the above price ; but we 

 must not always expect a combination of favorable 

 circumstances. 



Supposing we reckon the produce only two-thirds 

 as much as above, say 13 3-3 tons and the cost 32 

 1-2 per cent, more, which will be .$53 33 ; then the 

 cost of the beets will be only $4 per ton, one-fifth 

 less than Mr Bosson reckoned in his calculation on 

 the cost of beet sugar. If we reckon 50 pounds to 

 the bushel, 13 1-3 tons per acre would be only 533 

 bushels, which would be no more than a middling 

 crop; not half as much as has been raise(f in a 

 number of cases that liave been named. — Yankee 

 Parmtr. 



REMARKS ON THE USE OF LI.ME IN AG- 

 RICULTURE. 



We may now draw, says the highly intelligent 

 author of an essay on the use of lime, a few plain 

 and practical inferences from what lias been stated, 

 and which are sustained by thirty years practice in 

 the use of lime. 



1st, That lime operates equally well, whether 

 applied in a hot or effete state, provided the condi- 

 tion of the ground upon which it is used, be such 

 as to render a calcareous application beneficial. 



Sdly, That, in respect of operation, it is immate- 

 rial whether the lime be used upon grass land or 

 summer fallow, and that objects of conveniency 

 ought chiefly to weigh with th^ farmer in ascer- 

 taining the most proper time for applying this arti- 

 cle. Upon old grass land, it is perhaps best to 

 plough first, and to summer-fallow in the second 

 year, when lime can be applied. On new and 

 clean grass land, hesitation is superfluous ; it may : 

 be limed at the outset, that is, bef jre the plough is 

 admitted. 



3dly, That to lime moorish soils is a hazardous 

 business, unless dung is likewise bestowed ; but to 

 repeat the application upon such soils, especially if 

 tliey have been severely cropped, is almost a cer- 

 tain loss, and that a compost of lime and rich earth 

 is, in such cases, the only substitute. J 



4thly, That strong loams and clays require a full 

 dose to bring theui into action; such soils be- 

 ing capable of absorbing a great quantity of calca- 

 reous matter. Lighter soils, however, require less 

 lime to stimulate them, and n-:ay be injured by ad- 

 ministering a quantity that would prove moderate- 

 ly beneficial to those of a heavy nature. 



