Cultivation of Beet. 



213 



quality, with a one-horse drill (which sows 3 acres in about 2 

 hours), the couUers of which have universal joints, so that they 

 will admit of both lateral and perpendicular motion ; the coulters, 

 three in number, being fitted with handles, are steered by a man 

 and a boy. By this means the drills are kept exactly on the top 

 of the ridge (which would not be the case if the coulters were 

 fixed), and at equal distance from each other. This is important, 

 because the horse-hoe has to work between the rows. The depth 

 at which the seed is deposited is thus regulated with great exact- 

 ness, for the person steering has nothing to do but elevate or de- 

 press his hand as the soil varies in solidity, and by that means 

 secure a uniform depth, which is essential in sowing beet, be- 

 cause, if planted very deep, the seed does not vegetate, and, if very 

 shallow, it does not grow if dry weather follow: as a general 

 rule, we drill beet-seed rather deeper than swedes. The light 

 roller is again used after the drill. The whole of the manure 

 (with the exception of about five ridges for the plough to begin 

 on next morning) being ploughed, and the seed drilled on all the 

 finished ridges, will complete the day's work. When artificial 

 manure is used in addition to the dung, it is either spread by 

 hand on the dung in the ridges, or a manure-drill is employed, 

 but the spreading by hand is to be preferred. 



Subsoiling will also in some measure apply to deep-drained 

 retentive soils, but on all close and adhesive soils, injury is done 

 by spring-ploughing, for at that season of the year the land either 

 ploughs up in clods, or adherer *o the plough; the autumn- 

 ploughing and manuring is therefore to be recommended. This 

 is beginning to be adopted by some farmers in the eastern counties. 

 The land is ploughed up as soon as possible after harvest, and 

 between that time and Christmas it is ploughed into ridges about 

 thirty inches in width (two ridges are covered by the cart wheels), 

 the common single-breasted plough being used ; the land is now 

 manured with from 14 to 20 loads (IJ cubic yard) of farm-yard 

 dung ; this is covered in by splitting the ridges ; nothing more is 

 done in the way of preparation, for nature effects more in the 

 pulverization of the soil, by the alternate frosts and thaws of 

 winter, so as to afford a fine surface for the vegetation of the seed, 

 than can be produced by the artificial means of ploughing and 

 harrowing : by ploughing a retentive soil early in the spring, we 

 plough down that fine surface-mould produced by the weather, 

 which is so essential to the securing a good plant, and bring up 

 in return a mass of clods, which frequently defy our utmost 

 endeavours to pulverize : the carting farm-yard dung on heavy 

 land during the spring is also injurious from the treading of the 

 horses and cutting of the wheels : during the autumn and winter^ 

 dry and frosty weather can be chosen for manure-caning. 



