602 
occasional application will in some cases 
be found beneficial. 
Extremely sandy soils should not be se- 
lected for sugar beet growing, especial- 
ly in localities where high winds prevail 
in the spring. The adobe and silty soils 
should be handled with considerable care 
to prevent baking and crusting. It is 
generally assumed that new sod ground 
is not suitable for beets, but experience 
has shown that good results may be ob- 
tained from our western virgin soils. If 
such ground is to be planted to beets the 
sod should be broken in the summer, the 
ground fall plowed, worked down, and 
kept moist so that the sod will rot. 
The kind and location of the subsoil 
are always important factors. In some 
cases the subsoil is very porous. This con- 
dition can be relieved to some extent by 
increasing the humus supply in the soil 
and by giving special attention to firm- 
ing the seed and root beds in order that 
their water-holding capacity may be in- 
creased. If the subsoil is extremely por- 
ous and deep, it would not be advisable 
to use the soil for beet culture. 
If the hardpan is close to the surface, 
so that there is not sufficient depth of 
soil to produce sugar beets, the field 
should not be used. If a good soil to the 
depth of 18 inches or more covers the 
hardpan, it will be safe. 
Climatic Conditions 
The principal climatic factors which 
have a direct bearing upon sugar beet 
culture are temperature, precipitation, 
and winds. A study of the most success- 
ful sugar beet localities of the world leads 
to the conclusion that beets of the best 
quality can not be grown where the aver- 
age temperature for the season when the 
beets are being grown is much above 70 
degrees Fahrenheit. 
Low temperatures are most likely to be 
injurious to sugar beets when the plant- 
lets are just breaking through the ground, 
but after the roots are established in the 
Soil they rapidly become hardy and re- 
sistant to frost to a marked degree. A 
killing frost when the beets are coming 
up often necessitates the expense and 
labor of replanting. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
The great danger from low tempera- 
tures at the end of the growing season 
is that the beets may be frozen in the 
ground. To avoid this danger and the 
consequent loss that might result from 
such a condition it is advisable to get 
the beets out of the ground as soon ag 
possible after they are ripe and to cover 
them to avoid freezing or drying. Appar- 
ently beet roots are not injured for sugar- 
making purposes by freezing, provided 
that they freeze and remain frozen until 
they are put through the mill, but alter- 
nate freezing and thawing causes them 
to decay and blacken, so that their value 
for sugar making is materially decreased. 
The practice that prevails in some 
localities of letting the natural moisture 
escape from the soil, with the idea that 
more water can be applied when it is 
needed, is most pernicious and should not 
be followed. The moisture that falls 
upon the ground in the form of precipita- 
tion and is received and retained by the 
soil acts upon the plant foods day after 
day and week after week and accom- 
plishes most for plant growth. There is 
a feeling of safety in having an unlimit- 
ed supply of water for irrigation pur- 
poses, but it should be remembered that 
irrigation costs money and labor; pre- 
cipitation is nature’s gift. 
Winds have been briefly mentioned in 
connection with soil selection for sugar 
beets, but they have a still wider bear- 
ing upon crop conditions. 
The blowing of the soil and the exces- 
sive evaporation may often be reduced 
to the point of successful crop produc- 
tion by keeping the surface of the ground 
covered with a lump mulch. The mulch 
retards the evaporation, while its lumpy 
condition reduces the shifting of the 
soil. The cutting action of the shifting 
sand may be controlled by planting the 
beet rows at right angles to the direction 
of the prevailing winds when practicable 
and by attaching irrigating shovels to the 
drills, so that the ridges capable of pro- 
tecting the young plants will be thrown 
up between the rows at planting time. 
