190 Report on the Agriculture of Sweden and Norway. 
The following method of cultivation is pursued by Mr. Swartz, 
of Hofgarden, near Wadstena, who grows annually 100 acres of 
sugar-beet after barley. The stubble is ploughed in the autumn 
as soon as possible, and if the weather permits, the land is gone 
over afterwards with the ard. The dung is carted out and spread 
during the winter to the amount of 10 or 11 tons per imperial 
acre. In the spring the land is cultivated, or rather, deeply har- 
rowed, twice or thrice in cross directions ; the depth reached 
being about 7 inches. After this, about 2 cwt. of superphosphate 
(containing 15 per cent, of soluble phosphate guaranteed) is 
sown per acre, and harrowed in. About 28 lbs. of seed per acre 
is then drilled in rows about 18 inches apart. This operation is 
performed between April 28th and May 10th as a general rule, 
and is always the earliest spring-sowing on Hofgarden. Rolling 
is a favourite practice with sugar-beet growers, but Mr. Swartz 
never practises it. The argument is that it hastens vegetation, 
but Mr. Swartz prefers to get in his seed as early as possible on 
well-prepared land, and in view of the trying and uncertain 
spring climate in his locality, to carefully avoid any mode of 
procedure that would unduly hasten its germination. 
When the plants are sufficiently grown to enable the rows to 
be seen, the land is horse-hoed between them, and the plants are 
weeded. The horse-hoe is used a second time, and the plants 
are then singled to about 9 or 10 inches apart. The next 
operation is performed with a " beet-lifter," but with the shares 
arranged, at this stage of the cultivation of the crop, to act as 
a grubber between the rows, working as deeply as can be done 
by a pair of horses, generall}- about 7 inches. This same imple- 
ment is employed as a " lifter '' when the crop is ready, the 
shares being turned to work beneath the roots. The cultivation 
of Mr. Swartz's 100 acres of sugar-beet necessitates the employ- 
ment of 40 boys, girls, and women, during the season, at an 
average wage of 8(/. per diem. 
Harvesting is done by boys and women at from Ihs. to I85. 
per acre, including the collection of the roots and the leaves, 
each into a separate heap for every half-acre cultivated. The 
leaves are not regularly- heaped, but are collected together, and 
taken off as required for the cows, each of which gets about 
3 imperial stone per day, the average produce of an imperial 
acre being something under o tons of leaves. Mr. Swartz assured 
me that the leaves of the sugar-beet would stand an immense 
amount of severe frost without injury. The roots are made into 
long heaps on each half-acre (Swedish), covered with earth, and 
sent to the sugar-factory at Wadstena as desired. The, crop 
varies from 12 to 18 tons per imperial acre. 
The following details in the method of cultivation pursued by 
