104 The Sugar-Beet in America 
kill the sod plant and to promote the decay of roots and 
crowns. Considerable attention must also be given to 
stirring the land deeply in order that the beet root may 
have a mellow soil in which to grow. Ii potatoes or a 
root crop have been grown on the land, the soil will al- 
ready be loosened to considerable depth and there will be 
no coarse plant residues to care for. Under these con- 
ditions, the preparation of a seed-bed for beets is com- 
paratively simple. In planning a rotation in which sugar- 
beets are included, this question should be given due 
consideration, particularly in arranging the order in which 
the crops should follow each other. This is discussed 
more fully in Chapter VI. 
REASONS FOR PLOWING 
The most fundamental operation in the preparation 
of the seed-bed is plowing. One of the distinguishing 
features between the agriculture of the savage and that 
of civilized man is the difference in plowing: the one 
merely scratches the land sufficiently to get the seed 
planted ; the other stirs and pulverizes the entire surface 
layer of soil. In this process many desirable results are 
obtained: the structure, or tilth, of the soil is improved ; 
air is better able to penetrate to the roots; undesirable 
plants and weeds are killed; manure, stubble, and other 
plant residues are covered and decay is thereby hastened ; 
and moisture is conserved. 
Every plant requires for its best growth that looseness 
of soil which permits a free passage of air and an easy 
penetration of roots. This is particularly true of sugar- 
