36 BULLETIjST 963, TJ, S. DEPAETMElsrT OF AGRICULTURE. 



available supply of water is low. Most lands in this region, to pro- 

 duce a normal yield of sugar beets, need two to four or more irriga- 

 tions per growing season. 



In the Lehi district 3 per cent of the acreage of sugar beets was not 

 irrigated. In all of the other regions all of the acreage received one 

 or more irrigations. Water was applied, on the average, six times 

 per season on the Lehi fields, and about five times at Garland, Idaho 

 Falls, and Twin Falls. (Fig. 10.) The irrigation season extended 

 from May to the latter part of September. The available supply of 

 water determines the niunber of irrigations applied in the latter 

 part of the growing season, as most men believe that late irrigation 

 increases the yields. When the soil is too dry at planting time, the 

 growers either irrigate the land before planting or furrow irrigate 

 inunediately after planting. Then the crop is left as long as possible 

 before irrigating the young beets, since a run of water interferes with 

 cultivation and it is somewhat difficult to make furrows between 

 the rows of small beets without covering some of the young plants. 

 It is also generally assumed that, when young, the beets can stand 

 more drouth mthout injury than they can later in the season. 

 Where one has water available, the plants should not suffer for water 

 at any time during the season. To obtain maximum yields it is 

 essential that the beets use the entire growing season, and they 

 can not make growth when suffering from lack of moisture. 



The man-labor requirement varied somewhat for the different 

 districts, owing to the difference in the acreage irrigated per day and 

 the number of irrigations. The variation is greater between farms 

 in the same region than between the district averages. There are 

 many factors that influence the labor necessary for the irrigation of 

 a given piece of land. The lay of the land and the head of water 

 available- are undoubtedly the most important of these factors. 



BLOCKING AND THINNING. 



Enough beet seed is usually drilled to give more plants than are 

 required, provided a good germination is obtained. As soon as the 

 plants are large enough so that the rows can be distinguished the 

 blocking and thinning is done. Blocking, which means chopping 

 out surplus plants with the hoe, leaves small clusters of beets ten to 

 twelve inches apart in the row. Thinning, which is done by hand, 

 takes out the surplus plants in each cluster. On a small farm the 

 operator, with the assistance of members of the family, does part 

 or all of this work. 



In the Lehi area 90 per cent of this work was handled by the 

 operator and his family. The rest represented contract labor for 

 the handwork. In the Garland district 80 per cent was handled 

 by the operator and his family. In the Twin Falls area essentially 



