THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 29 
commercial fertilizers do not seem to be effective. This may be due to 
the physical condition of the soil. The greatest benefits are obtained 
from commercial fertilizers when the soil is well supplied with 
humus. There should, of course, be a sufficient supply of moisture 
in the soil to dissolve and hold in solution the plant foods that are 
already present or that may be supplied in the form of a commercial 
fertilizer. The benefits arising from the use of fertilizers, whether 
stable manure, green crops, or mineral compounds, are frequently 
noticeable over a period of several years : hence in estimating the 
value of a fertilizer the results of several seasons' crops should be 
taken into account. 
CROP ROTATION. 
Occasionally a farm is found on which beets are grown on the same 
field year after year. While this seems to give satisfactory results 
for a time in some instances, it is in general a poor method and one 
that can not be recommended, since it tends to encourage the develop- 
ment of certain sugar-beet pests which eventually render the crop un- 
profitable. The rotation practiced in the various sugar-beet areas 
must necessarily depend upon the crops that do best in these several 
localities, as well as upon the other crop and live-stock requirements 
of the farm. In some areas, for example, the Irish potato is a profit- 
able crop and forms an important link in a system of rotation with 
sugar beets. In other areas the Irish potato is not successful, and in 
such sections it would be a waste of time and money to undertake to 
utilize it in rotation with sugar beets. Again, there are areas in 
which the muskmelon is very satisfactory and rotates well with 
sugar beets or other crops; in other parts of the sugar-beet terri- 
tory the muskmelon can not be grown with success. In planning the 
rotations, therefore, one must have in mind not only the crops that will 
rotate well with sugar beets, but also the success of those crops inde- 
pendently. The grower must also consider the practicability of 
handling such crops from the standpoint of his returns ; for example, 
in some sugar-beet areas alfalfa gives good yields, but because the 
hauls are so long the value of the alfalfa under normal conditions is 
not sufficient to pay the transportation charges and leave a reason- 
able profit. Therefore, unless there is an abundance of live stock to 
utilize the alfalfa locally or unless it is needed as a soil improver, 
it is not a satisfactory rotation crop in certain localities in spite of 
the fact that it produces satisfactory yields. Our studies of the 
various sugar-beet sections indicate that live stock is an important 
factor in crop rotation on the sugar-beet farms. As already indi- 
cated, certain crops can be grown to advantage if there is an abund- 
ance of live stock to utilize them. Even if certain crops could be 
sold from the farm at a reasonable return above the cost of produc- 
