132 Sr'^AR BEET SEED. 



it is recommeiiucfl that the sowing be done as soon as 

 possible. If the tcn:perature is lower than 8 degrees 

 C (46. 4° F.), germination is not satisfactory; in the 

 Elite sowing, they constantly use 44 lbs. to the acre, 

 and keep the lines about eight inches apart. 



There is a great difference of opinion in regard to 

 the spacing of Elite seed. With the view of keeping 

 down the size of the roots, some growers attempt a 

 distance of four to five inches; then again eight inches 

 in every direction, or eight inches between lines and 

 four inches between beets in the rows. The number of 

 roots is estimated to be 174,000 per acre, but such 

 numbers are in reality never realized. After sowing, 

 the seed is covered by three-fourths inches of earth, 

 followed by rolling. In Germany, there seem to be 

 many advocates of sowing seed for mothers directly 

 after wheat in the rotation. There also are many advo- 

 cates of successive rollings of the ground after sowing; 

 at Grobers, they plant their rows from twelve to four-, 

 teen inches apart. Successive and frequent hoeing is 

 everywhere very popular; this, on many European 

 farms, is done by women. The hoes used are about 4J 

 inches wide; later, they frequently use a hand-pushing 

 cultivator, incr-easing the depth each time th^ 

 operation is done. The spacing demands some experi- 

 ence, and cannot be conducted by novices, such as. 

 used in ordinary sugar-beet cultivation. When the 

 roots have a certain size, and show certain indications 

 of degeneracy, they are, in some cases, removed from 

 the field, and replaced by others cultivated under the 

 same conditions on special patches. 



A fact which must never be overlooked, is the 

 great care to be given at every stage, up to the time of 

 harvesting, which is done as under ordinary cir-cum- 

 stances of beet cultivation. 



