GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN GALIFORNIA. Lv 
TasBLE 1V.—The annual average rainfall by months for three sugar-beet districts 
; in California. 
Los Angeles.| Oxnard. Salinas. 
1877-1909. 1892-1912. | 1873-1912. 
Elevation | Elevation | Elevation 
293 ft. 150 ft. 40 ft. 
TENECTINIY 4 3.5 ses SE CCE SEE SER IC TS Ee oe es 3.03 3.96 3. 02 
oF FITTER so si QA SEI ee ot ae 3.00 2.44 2.21 
MOTD D . 3 eka SoS RSS CO NEE ORES a Sy Se RS 3.05 3. 09 2.50 
JT ow co She eRe aE el a ns 1. 02 0. 44 1.18 
EET nec pe cee on SEO Et OES EES Se aR rete ec PO ek 2) eS eS 0. 48 0. 43 0. 49 
PapEBeI eC rn ee rote Ct! LN 08 Bh ae ane uae beieac's an tanese 0.08 T 0.138 
TRIN o-oo ded See REUSE SSE BON SES EE EE BA SER oe) aan 0. 01 0.01 T1 
BVT EDS Eo 3s SSA SEG BEI SS a re 0. 03 Tl 0. 01 
SUDEP PAP .w - ces ESOS SCO BORE OS Oe SEO e BE ee c CeCe see EEaeeere 0.10 0. 48 0.19 
SitTPO 2 cacao Se ae aE eT Ee ee ES tas) aa ee ree 0.75 0.79 0. 68 
LS SY PEE DOP. CSRS SS RES ee a RR ee oD am ate aa 1.33 1.03 1.33 
LDRPTITD . aco aa sons ese S Rane TOBE eS CEDURE EEO SorL Us oe eeEmeeenere 2. 85 2.08 2.32 
TGP. cS SES AB BEBE Bs OS Oa a Sel eo en er ar 15. 73 14. 75 14. 06 
Total 
DENG annoc bce e RS RE SBE SRS OEE ee eter ein ea wee eerie eS 16. 67 19.38 18. 24 
ES ee ees ee ene cise eins tea sie oo ssn 23. 29 28. 01 18. 81 
1 A trace of moisture only. 
In the Los Angeles area the normal monthly temperature ranges 
from 53° to 70°, at Oxnard from 52° to 64°, and at Salinas from 
47° to 62°. Generally speaking, no irrigation is practiced at Oxnard ; 
at Salinas it is frequently advisable to irrigate the land before it is 
plowed for beets (see fig. 4), and at Los Angeles it is often necessary 
to irrigate at least once during the growing season. The prevalence 
of fogs during the dry season plays an important part in the con- 
servation of moisture. In all areas the average temperature during - 
the growing season approaches 70°, the temperature recognized as 
being necessary for sugar-beet production. 
SOIL. 
Several soil types are found in the three areas studied. A brief 
reference to these types will undoubtedly assist the reader in his 
interpretation of the cultural methods which are described in this 
bulletin. The amount of work that may be required in the prepara- 
tion of a good seed bed is governed to a certain extent by the char- 
acter of the soil. Very heavy land must be cultivated at the proper 
time if the minimum labor requirement is to be attained.1 
Most of the records in the Los Angeles district were taken on two 
types of soil, Fresno fine sandy loam and Fresno sand. By far the 
1Jn 1901 the Bureaw of Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, made a survey 
of the Salinas Valley and the Ventura area, the latter including the Oxnard district. In 
19023 the Los Angeles area was surveyed, so that all three areas have been mapped by the 
Bureau of Soils. (Soil Survey of the Los Angeles Area, California, by Louis Mesmer, 
1903. Soil Survey of the Ventura Area, California, by J. Garnett Holmes and Louis 
Mesmer, 1901. Soil Survey of the Lower Salinas Valley, California, by Macy H. Lapham 
and W. H. Heileman, 1901.) 
