38 BULLETIN 721, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTTJRE. 



firm or in which there are soft spots or areas is always unsatis- 

 factor3% as it results in an uneven start of the beet plants, which 

 interferes with the handling of the crop. 



Harvesting tools. — At harvest time the beet lifter, a special imple- 

 ment not required in harvesting other crops, is necessary. (PL VII, 

 fig. 1.) There are two forms of this implement, namely, the double- 

 pointed lifter and the side lifter. In the former, one point passes 

 along each side of the beet root at a depth of several inches below the 

 surface and is so constructed that the beets are loosened and slightly 

 lifted. The side lifter passes along one side of the beet roAv and 

 loosens the beet, usually without lifting it; in either case the roots, 

 after they have been loosened, can readily be pulled and thrown into 

 piles. Care should be taken in using these lifters to see that the 

 beet roots are not broken. Considerable loss frequently results to 

 the gi'ower from the breaking of the roots so that the lower part of 

 the beet is left in the ground. 



In topping beets hy hand, heavy knives closely resembling a large 

 butcher knife are used; in some localities sickles are used for this 

 purpose. This work, now done by hand, as shown in Plate VII, 

 figure 2, may be done by machinery. (See also PL VIII.) In load- 

 ing the beets on the wagons specially constructed forks should be 

 used. The special construction consists of a knob of metal on the 

 end of each tine, so that the beets are not punctured when they are 

 forked on to the wagon. Special beet racks, as shown in Plate VI, 

 figure 2, are commonly used in hauling the beets to the factory or 

 dump. These special racks are necessary in facilitating the unload- 

 ing of the beets at the dumps, where the beets are emptied from the 

 wagons on to the cars. If the beets are forked from the wagon the 

 ordinary wagon box may be used, but generally the beets are dumped, 

 in which case racks with hinged sides are necessary. Furthermore, 

 the special rack holds more roots than the ordinary wagon bed, 

 thereby reducing the cost of delivering the crop. 



Sugar-heet harvester. — Heretofore the most laborious operation con- 

 nected with beet culture has been the harvesting. This operation 

 consists of three parts, lifting, pulling, and topping, as described 

 above. The pulling and topping have been done entirely by hand at 

 a cost of $7 to $9 per acre. Many attempts have been made in 

 this country and in Europe to construct a mechanical harvester. Re- 

 cently, several types of this implement have been improved, and it 

 is expected that they will be available to harvest at least a part of the 

 1918 acreage. One type of harvester, as shown in Plate VIII, figure 

 1, is a motor-driven device which lifts the beet entirely out of the 

 ground and tops and piles the roots. Another type of harvester, as 

 shown in Plate VIII, figure 2, is a horse-drawn implement which 



