BEETS 
Plowing 
The time, the depth, and the kind of 
plowing done and the condition of the 
ground at the time of plowing are all im- 
portant factors in preparing the soil for 
sugar beets. As a rule, the most satisfac- 
tory time to plow for beets is in the fall, 
for the reason that fall-plowed ground is 
in better condition to receive the winter 
moisture and consequently to respond to 
the freezing and thawing action which 
tends to put the soil in the best physical 
and chemical condition for plant produc- 
tion. 
In the irrigated sections plowing should 
never be left until spring if it can pos- 
sibly be done earlier. In the first place 
the rush of spring work is not favorable 
to the best kind of plowing, but more im- 
portant is the fact that stirring the 
ground to such a depth so close to plant- 
ing time promotes evaporation and often 
the entire seed and root beds are com- 
paratively dry before the seed is plant- 
ed. 
If done in the fall, there is very little 
danger of plowing too deep. Other things 
being equal, plowing to a depth of 10 to 
14 inches or more will give the best re- 
sults. Subsoil plowing is not generally 
practiced, and in cases where deep plow- 
ing is done and the soil below the plowed 
area is not too hard for the beet roots 
to penetrate it readily subsoiling would 
not pay for the labor and money expended. 
Where for any reason the plowing can not 
be done to the desired depth and the un- 
derlying soil is hard, it will pay to run 
the subsoil plow. 
Ground is in proper condition for plow- 
ing when it is neither too wet nor too 
dry. Under no circumstances should 
ground be plowed when wet, since plow- 
ing under such circumstances injures the 
physical condition of the soil to an ex- 
tent that often requires years to correct. 
Plowing should always be done when the 
ground is in what is called a friable con- 
dition, that is, when it is capable of fall- 
ing apart as the furrow is turned so that 
there are no air spaces below, as is the 
case when the ground is too wet or when 
it is dry and cloddy. 
603 
The Seed and Root Beds 
The seed requires a uniformly fine, 
firm, moist bed in order to produce a quick 
and uniform germination, which is 
especially desirable in beet culture. The 
more quickly the seeds germinate, the 
more certain is a good stand, which is the 
first requirement of a satisfactory crop. 
The plants require a fine, firm, moist, well- 
aerated root bed in order to make a satis- 
factory growth. The root bed must be fine 
and firm because the plants must be held 
firmly in place during their entire period 
of growth, and the soil particles must be 
closely in contact with the feeding root- 
lets. The soil must be moist enough to 
supply the plants with mineral food in 
solution and with enough water to pro- 
mote constant and rapid growth. 
At the same time there must not be in 
the soil for any considerable period of 
time so much water that a free inter- 
change of soil gases can not take place. 
If the ground is properly plowed in the 
fall when its physical condition is right, 
the root bed will be fine and free from 
air spaces. The winter moisture will usu- 
ally pack the fall-plowed ground, so that 
the root bed will be firm. In the absence 
of natural winter rain or snow, winter ir- 
rigation should be practiced; otherwise, 
two of the most important objects of fall 
plowing will be lost, namely, the firming 
of the seed and root beds and the changes 
in the soil due to freezing and thawing. 
If the ground is not plowed until spring, 
the seed and root beds must be artificially 
packed. This can best be done with a sub- 
surface packer, which should follow im- 
mediately behind the plow. The packer 
should be followed immediately by the 
harrow, in order to form the necessary 
mulch and to retain the moisture in the 
soil. This mulch should be maintained 
until planting time, when, if the seed bed 
is not sufficiently firm, the roller and har- 
row should be used until the proper de- 
gree of firmness is produced. Due regard 
should be given to the condition of the 
soil when these implements are used, so 
that the flocculent condition of the soil 
is not destroyed. The ground should be 
so firm before the seed is put into it that 
