5 
danger of the seed lacking sufficient germinating power to 
force its way up, or a spell of wet weather might cause it to 
rot. 
The following is a table showing results in certain exper¬ 
iments, the past season relating to subjects in hand, which 
through the courtesy of Professor F. A. Huntley, my succes¬ 
sor at the Rocky Ford Station, since July i, 1892, I am per¬ 
mitted to use here : 
TABLE. 
Test. 
A ... 
A ... 
B .... 
B. ... 
C. ... 
C. ... 
D .... 
D. ... 
Field 
Plat. 
Name. 
How Sown. 
Deoth. 
Rows 
Yield, 
No. 
Tons 
Inches. 
Apart, Ins. 
lbs. 
Beets. 
per Acre. 
1 
Vilmorin 
Drills 
1 
16 
139 
193 
21.95 
2 
Drills 
«1 
4 
16 
340 
108 
17. 
1 
1 seed every 2 ins. 
2 
16 
516 
269 
25.80 
Drills 
2 
2 seeds every 4 ins. 
2 
16 
525 
262 
26.25 
1 
Hills 8 ins. apart 
2 
8 
499 
244 
24.95 
2 
Hills 12 ins. apart 
2 
12 
528 
191 
26.4 
1 
Drills 
2 
12 
497 
312 
24.85 
2 
2 
16 
505 
251 
25.25 
1 
3 
12 and 24 
Good 
Stand. 
21.50 
The size of ‘‘test” plats was one, one-hundreth acre each, 
and as the product of small plats is apt to average above 
field culture, this accounts for the excess in tonnage per acre, 
of first experiment over the last tabulated. 
The following method of planting was adopted at this 
Station the past season, for field culture and has been found 
very satisfactory: 
After land had been plowed, harrowed, and made quite 
smooth, even and free from lumps, stones or trash, seed was 
sown with an ordinary hand-drill, sowing 18 pounds to the 
acre, covering an inch or less in depth, in double rows one 
foot apart, separated by a space two feet wide. Then, with 
one horse and a shovel plow, a trench was made in this space, 
the dirt being thrown both sides to finish covering the seed. 
The rows are worked over quickly with a rake or hoe and 
seeding is completed. Beet seed requires considerable 
moisture to produce germination, hence, in a dry spring, 
water may be turned in these ditches and beets brought for¬ 
ward, independent of dry weather. 
To facilitate proper irrigation, rows should not be more 
than 300 feet in length, preferably less. It should not be 
necessary to drench the upper end in order to moisten the 
lower end. 
Proper cultivation, consists in hand hoeing, or working 
with a fine tooth cultivator, the surface of the ground being 
