328 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



thinning require hand labor, as does also much of the 

 cultivation during the early period of growth. Frequent 

 cultivation in the early growing season is important, as 

 at this time an abundant moisture supply is desirable for 

 the beets. 



339. Harvesting. The harvesting may be divided 

 into four operations, namely, lifting, pulling, topping, 

 and hauling. Lifting consists of plowing near the beets 

 to loosen the soil so that they may easily be pulled. The 



FIG. 120. Many foreigners, men, women, and children, are employed 

 by growers of sugar beets. 



pulling is done by hand, as is also the topping, which 

 consists of removing the tops at the point of the lowest 

 leaf scar with a sharp knife. The part of the beet that 

 grows above the ground is not desired by the sugar factory, 

 since it has a low sugar content and a high percentage 

 of minerals, which crystallize the sugar during the process 

 of manufacture. After the tops are removed, the beets 

 are then hauled to the factory, or to the point of shipment 

 if the factory is some distance away. At the factory the 

 sugar is extracted and placed upon the market. The 

 beet pulp, that part of the beet which remains after the 



