CULTURAL METHODS FOR SUGAR BEETS 
PROGRESS BULLETIN 
By W. H. Olin 
I. Sugar Beet Investigations Already Made at the 
Colorado Experiment Station.— Investigation work on sugar 
beets was begun by the Agricultural College before the organization 
of the Experiment Station. This was done under the direction of 
President C. E. Ingersoll who had great belief in the possibilities of 
sugar beets. The first bulletin on sugar beets issued by the 
Experiment Station was No. 7 in 1888. Since then it has pub¬ 
lished twelve bulletins on the subject of sugar beets. Most of these 
bulletins were prepared by the Chemical section of the Station and 
dealt quite largely with the chemical properties of beets and effect 
of soil conditions upon the crop. 
Prof. W. W. Cooke (Professor of Agriculture) in 1898 began 
a study of cultural methods, seeking to determine the best time for 
planting, best distance between rows, proper distance for thinning 
in the row and how to handle the irrigating water to obtain the 
best crop. These experiments were reported in bulletin 15 and 
were strongly in favor of early planting. Definite conclusions were 
not obtained upon the other problems, which still await solution. 
II. Cultural Methods of our Most Successful Sugar 
Beet Growers.— To learn the cultural methods practiced by our 
most successful sugar beet growers, question circulars were sent to 
1000 beet growers well distributed in three beet regions of the State; 
Northern Colorado, Arkansas Valley and the Western Slope region. 
These growers were selected as representing the growers who were 
obtaining the best tonnage and therefore gettingthe most profitable 
crop returns. The circulars were sent out in June and October 
of the crop season 1905. They contained the following questions: 
1. Number of acres you now have seeded in sugar beets? 
2. Number of acres you had in sugar beets last year? 
3. Date of seeding beets last year? 
4. Date of seeding beets this year? 
5. Amount of seed used per acre? 
0. Do you tend your own beets? 
