GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN UTAH AND IDAHO. 13 
About one-third of the men who were consulted in this area stated 
that a definite cropping system had not been adopted as yet, but 
these operators were prepared to give suggestions with reference to 
the length of time alfalfa is allowed to remain down. Continuous 
beet culture appeared to be the practice on this group of farms. 
There is quite a marked similarity between the methods of crop- 
ping that prevail in the Provo and the Garland district. On the 
farms of the latter area the average period through which the 
alfalfa sod remains unbroken is about five years. Planting grain for 
one or two years after plowing up the hay crop provides the con- 
necting link between the alfalfa and the sugar beet. The potato 
enters into the general plan on relatively few farms. The sugar beet 
is the chief money crop, and naturally occupies a conspicuous place 
in the rotation. Fully one-half of the growers in this area reported 
that sugar beets had been grown for five years or more on the same 
part of the farm. This practice is no doubt due in part to the pre- 
vailing opinion that beet land improves from year to year. Many 
growers contend that they are getting better yields now in fields 
which have" produced eight crops or more than they were able to 
obtain during the first two or three years of their experience. There 
is a' tendency to overlook the changes which have been made in the 
methods of culture. The increased yields, if there is such an increase, 
are undoubtedly due to greater efficiency in producing the crop. It is 
not unusual to find beets following beets upon the same field 8 to 12 
years without the introduction of any other crop. Such a system 
invites trouble and consequent shortage in yield through the develop- 
ment of plant diseases or the multiplication of insect pests. A few 
have recognized the serious possibilities of such a situation and are 
endeavoring to modify this well-established practice. About 33 
per cent of the Garland records show that a definite crop rotation 
has not been fully established. When apple and other orchards 
are being developed, it is a common practice to grow sugar beets 
on this land. 
There are portions of the Idaho Falls area where the potato is the 
only cultivated crop and practically no attention is given to the 
production of sugar beets. For these farms a slightly different 
rotation has been evolved. The Idaho Falls rotation, which includes 
alfalfa, potatoes, beets, and grain, is in conformity with the Utah 
method of cropping. However, under average conditions alfalfa 
is broken out at the end of the fourth year and potatoes take the 
place of grain on the newly turned soil. A few operators put in grain 
immediately after breaking. Potatoes are planted the succeeding 
year. Beets follow, beets for two or three years, after which grain 
is sown and alfalfa is established once more. Occasionally potatoes 
are planted for two or three years consecutively after breaking, and 
