THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 15 



producing a spotted or uneven stand. The seed should be drilled 

 into the firm seed bed, so that it will be constantly in contact with 

 the moist soil. (PI. I, fig, 1.) Poor stands are probably produced 

 oftener by too deep and uneven planting, due to a poorly prepared 

 seed bed, than by any other cause. 



Bate of 'planting. — No specific date for planting beet seed can be 

 given, since much depends upon local soil and weather conditions. 

 In general, however, it has been found that the soil should be warm 

 and uniformly moist before the seed is planted, as beet seed will not 

 germinate satisfactorily in a cold, unevenly moistened bed. A few of 

 the stronger plants may come up in the moist spots if the seed bed is 

 not too cold, but the stand will be uneven and far from perfect. It 

 is advisable, therefore, to see that the soil conditions are right before 

 planting. Generally there is a planting period of several weeks 

 during which the seed may be placed in the ground with good 

 results. It has been observed that late plantings will frequently 

 give better results than the very early plantings. It is not advisable 

 to plant in soil that is too dry or too wet. If the soil is too dry and 

 irrigating water is available, it is best to irrigate before planting; if 

 irrigating water is not available" and the indications are favor- 

 able for rain, it will usually be advisable to wait until rain has fallen. 

 If the ground is too wet when the seed is planted, there is danger of 

 the seed rotting and thereby failing to produce a stand. 



Winds. — In some localities wind is an important factor affecting 

 the stand of sugar beets. Aside from the effect of wind upon seed 

 formation, as previously noted, wind is effective in two ways in in- 

 juring the stand of beets. If the soil is sandy, strong winds may shift 

 the sand so that the seed is covered too deeply and the young plants 

 can not get through to the light, and if the beet seedlings are up the 

 wind may carry the fine particles of sand against the tender plants 

 with such force that they are destroyed or severely injured. This 

 frequently occurs in level areas where strong winds prevail in early 

 spring. The destructive effect of winds may be overcome, in part 

 at least, by drilling in the seed at right angles to the direction of 

 the prevailing winds and by ridging the ground slightly between 

 the rows. 



Crust. — ^In many sugar-beet localities the soil has a strong ten- 

 dency to crust if it is moistened and then quickly dried. Showers 

 sometimes fall shortly after the seed is planted, followed by sun- 

 shine and drying winds, and in cases where the soil has a tendency 

 to bake a very hard crust will frequently form, which will either 

 prevent the young plants from coming through to the light or will 

 cause a very uneven stand. The crust formed will vary in thickness, 

 depending upon the nature of the soil and the conditions of the 

 weather. If the crust is thin and the young plants have not been 



