GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN THE BILLINGS REGION. 23 



IRRIGATING THE SUGAR-BEET CROP. 



Irrigation in the Billings region is by water supplied directly 

 from the river to the farms and not stored in reservoirs, such as are 

 found in many sections elsewhere. The supply is from the Yellow- 

 stone Eiver and its tributaries, and much of the water is available 

 in- June and early July, as this is the time when the water in the 

 river from the melting snows of the mountains at the headwaters 

 of the Yellowstone River reaches its highest point. Large ditches 

 are constructed to take the water from the river, and these ditches 

 run at an altitude higher than the lands to be irrigated. By a 

 gradual branching into smaller ditches the water is distributed to 

 the beet fields, where it is run in small furrows between the beet rows. 



In running the water through the furrows between the rows of 

 beets it is necessary to have only a small head, as it is advisable that 

 the water in the furrow should not overflow and submerge the crown 

 of the beets. The furrows are usually about 3 or 4 inches deep. 

 Different types of soil require different lengths of time for the appli- 

 cation of the water in order to give the beets a thorough irrigation. 

 Sandy lands require a quick run in order to be most efficient in the 

 use of the water, while heavy soils which the water does not pene- 

 trate quickly require a long run of water. The farmer usually judges 

 that the beets have sufficient water when the land is thoroughly satu- 

 rated to the depth of an irrigating shovel in the middle of the strip 

 between two water furrows. The length of time the water is run in 

 the furrow depends greatly on the length of the row of beets. Many 

 growers shut off the water as soon as it reaches the lower end of the 

 furrow so as to avoid waste of the water from the ends of the rows. 



Irrigating usually begins in the month of July, depending on the 

 season, the amount of rains, and the size of the beets. The first irri- 

 gation water was applied to beets by 41 farmers of this group from 

 July 5 to 15, 136 began irrigating from July 16 to July 25, 66 began 

 irrigating from July 26 to August 5, and 5 did not apply the first 

 irrigation until after August 6. 



Six farmers applied the last irrigation to beets from August 1 to 

 August 5, 14 finished irrigating from August 6 to 15, 83 finished 

 from August 16 to 25, 75 applied the last irrigation from August 

 26 to September 5, 65 finished irrigating from September 5 to 15, 

 and 5 irrigated beets as late as September 16. 



The average length of time between the first and last irrigation 

 of sugar beets was 37 days, while the extreme dates shown for indi- 

 vidual irrigations range from July 5 to September 20, which gives 

 a season of 77 days for irrigating. 



Beets should not be irrigated until they are too large to cultivate 

 and the leaves have spread out so that they will cover the ground 



