SUGAR BEETS: PREVENTABLE LOSSES IN CULTURE. 



17 



necessary to grade and level a field properly could be put in at odd 

 times during the autumn and winter and in many cases would not 

 cost more than the additional labor and loss entailed each season by 

 leaving this work undone. 



Implement manufacturers should be urged to study the improve- 

 ment of seed drills in order to make them more responsive to the sur- 

 face of the ground and to perfect a seed-dropping device for them. 

 However, much of the trouble with seed drills could be avoided by 

 better preparation of the seed bed. 



The first cultivation, taking place soon after the seedlings appear 

 is sometimes carelessly done or is performed with implements not 

 well adapted to the operation. Thus, many seedlings are smothered 

 by having the soil thrown over them. A special type of cultivator, 

 with disks adjusted to protect the plants, will prevent losses of this 

 sort (fig. 5). 



Fig. 4.— Sugar-beet seedlings, showing the effect of late frosts and the bites of flea beetles. The dead 

 seedlings were killed by frost; the others were bitten by flea beetles. 



LOSSES ON THE THINNING STAND. 



Many beet growers defer thinning and spacing too long. The 

 European beet growers hasten to their fields as soon as most of the 

 seedlings have acquired two pairs of true leaves. To delay beyond 

 this stage may mean a marked reduction in tonnage and sugar, as 

 is shown by an experiment in Germany in which the results given 

 in Table V were obtained. 1 



Table V. — Losses due to delayed thinning of sugar-beet seedlings in Germany. 



Thinned — 



Yield. 



Loss per 



acre at $5 



a ton. 



At the proper time 



Tons. 

 15 

 13.5 

 10 



7 





One week later 



$7 50 



Two weeks later 



25.00 



Three weeks later 



40.00 







1 Robertson-Scott, J. W. Sugar Beet: Some Facts and Some Illusions, p. 120. London, 1911. 



