Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-09
WHOLE NO. 227.

ough drainage, deep fall plowing, and the
surface made light with manure and deep
tiilage, is a soil in which the sugar beet will
give remunerative crop. All lands which
are made wet by springs, or which retain
stagnant water on the surface, or within
reach Of the roots Of the beet, should be
thoroughly drained. Although the beet re.
quires large amount Of moisture to carry
on vigorous aud healthy growth, yet but
few plants will show the presence Of stagnant
water quicker than the beet. 1t then as
sumes yellowish hue and sickly aspect. II
will not extend downward its usual length,
but on reaching the water will divide iuto
numerous small fbers, which spread in all
directions, to the great injury Of the crop.
Hence, in the preparation Of most clay soils,
thorough drainage is absolutely necessary.
Owing to the early period at which the
beet should be sown it is important that the
work of preparation should as much as pos
sble be done in tho fall. All land for roots
except light sandy soils should be plowed in
the fall. If on the sitter soil plowing is de-
ferred until spring it will turn up cloddy
surface, which is difficult to reduce and
make mellow, and which is great hindrance
to proper cultivation of this crop. Stiff
clay soils plowed in the fall and left with
rough surface are mellowed by the freezing
aud thawiDg and crumble readily in the
spring. Roots need more thorough prepara-
tion Of the land than most of the hoed crops.
The more completely the soil has been mixed
and pulverized the more readily will the
roots reach their supply of food. 1t is a
good practice when once the land is prepared
by drainage, removal of stones, and deep
tilage, to continue 70 raise beets on the
same field for successive years. On land
that has been cropped to beets for many
successive years some Of the crops for the
past few years have been the best | have
ever raised. l ridge with a double mold
board plow, making tho ridges 80 inches
apart. Some light soils will do as we'll with
out ridging, but heavy soils that become
hard from heavy rains are left in better con-
dition by ridging. Aatten the ridges with
a garden rake, drawing stones and Jumps
between them. l have used seed-sower,
using at the rate of four pounds of seed per
acre.
Animal manure contains every element,
and generally in the right proportion, for Il
amount of manure that should be applied
depends on the quality. One load from an
imals fed on rich food, sheltered, aud prop
erly managed, is worth three loads Of COM
mon barn-yard manure. generally apply
25 loads go bushel loads) of sheltered ma
nure to an acre. Formerly Ipracticed plow-
ing in the manure. l am now inclined to
favor surface manuring, especially if the ma
nure is fine. 1t should be thoroughly mixed
with the soil by the use Of the harrow at
the time Of sowing. Ridging the land after
surface manuring brings all the manure in
the ridge, which accomplishes the same re-
suits that the English mode does with much
less labor. The English mode is to manure
in the burrows between the ridges, then split
the first ridges, and thus cover up the ma
nure at the bottom of the burrows and form
the crown Of the ridge directly over it.
Special fertilizers, such as salt, ashes, SUI
perphosphate, in addition to farm manure,
increase the yield of the beet crop. In En-
gland experience proved that, after yard
manure ceased to produce sensible effect, an
application of Peruvian guano increased the
yield II tons per acre. An application of
500 pounds of salt showed an increase of 63
tons per acre. In the summer of 1872 L
tried experiments with phosphate, salt, ashes
and urine on a crop of the Improved Impe-
rial beets, with the following results. Each
application was in the drill, and on land
manured with % loads of stable manure per
acre, plowed in; the seed was sown April
20. Plot with no extra manure, yield per
acre, 30 tons manured in the drill with %
loads per acre, 32 tons; superphosphate,
375 pounds per acre, 36 tons; salt, $50
pounds per acre, 333 tons; ashes, 16 BUSH
els per acre, 34a tons. The next expert
ment was on plots of land plowed without
manure, and sowed May IA. Plot with no
manure gave l54 tons manured in drill, %
loads per acre, 224 tons; urine from COWS
and horses absorbed by muck, % loads per
acre in drills, 2Si tons; salt, $50 pounds
per acre, 2Si tons; superphosphate, 375
pounds per acre, 234 tons. These expert
ments show that an extra application Of
manure in the drills did not pay, but that all
the commercial fertilizers, superphosphate,
salt, ashes, more than paid their cost, and
| the cost Of labor in their application, in the
increased crop produced. The difference in
the result Of these two trials is not wholly
on account Of the manure applied to the land
sowed April 20, and none on that sowed May
IA but one.half of the difference at least is
due to the time of sowing which will be
shown by another experiment.
Roots grow mostly after midsummer, and
many farmers think that difference of two
or three weeks in the time of sowing will
make but little difference in the crop. With
turnips and carrots this is the case at least
it is not essential that these roots should be
sown early. With beets the yield of the
crop depends very much upon early sowing
The first suitable weather after the frost is
out Of the ground and the soil sufficiently
dry to be worked, the crop should be put in.
Beets after growing to one-half inch in thick
ness form an additional concentric ring or
layer about every l5 days. These vary in
number from to 10, depending upon the
length of the season after planting. The
Oldest leaves are those at the bottom of the
crown, and they are in direct communication
with the Oldest and central layer As new
leaves are formed new layers are formed,
the central leaves on the top of the
crown communicating with the last and ex-
ternal layer. Each succeeding layer being
external to the one preceding it, its diameter
and bulk increase in an increased ratio, the
last two being at least equal to the four in-
ternal ones, consequently the crop doubling
in short time. The crop is generally half
grown somewhere from the 18th Of August
to the lst of September, varying little in
different seasons. If by late sowing the
tcrop weighs but 10 tons at that time we can
hardly expect the increase after that date
will exceed 10 tons-making the crop 20
tons per acre. But if by early sowing We
grow Is tons by the middle Of the growing
season our crop will reach 80 tons per acre,
A delay in sowing OF few days will often
lessen the crop 10 tons per acre.
The above opinion is based not only upon
close observation for many years, but also