Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-04-10
4arm ann Aoustboln
he -I,.s-e :. tie Sugar Beet.


The beet-sugar enterprise in Maine
seems in a promising way, and The farm
ers can receive. this coming season, ben
eft from the attempt. The company.
in order TO encourage the growing Of
bcels, pay the uniform price OF $50
ton tor the beet, when delivered at any
depot in the State; and tbi- price makes
the growing Of beeis the most profitable
Of farm erops. provided the culture be
understood. and attention bc given TO
the conditions for success.
The cropping capacity OF the sugar
beet is not a. grca, a i, that Of common
mangolds; and yet il i, sufficient,
large, aud varies sufii cienily. to offer
inducements toward, care in cultivation.
and the exercise OF skill la Silcsia. the
average crop i from nine to uinc aud
one-half tons per acre; in >4xony. from
eleven and three -faurths 10 twelve ton.
per acre. and eXceptiouaHY fifteen; iu
France, from nineteen 10 twenty tons
per acre. In Massachusetts, premium
crops have been reported from Xix hun
dred 10 nine husdrei aud forty bu-Ac..
per acre, or say eighteen TO tweut, eight
tons. Ia Maine. last wear, we have
heard Of crops from twenty TO thirty
tons, or at that rate, per acre.
The expense Of growing. according
to Achard, is about sixty day. work OF
man per acre. aud IN Russia j. given at
about forty dAys' labor OF man. The
items of labor on the crop proper seem
TO be the sowing. singing, tour hocings,
aud harvesting. This should be done
largely by machine. although haud-labor
must not be begrudged. when required
by the condition of the crop. The beet
Is plant which, to be pFolitably grown.
requires a careful preparation Of the
land. The soil should be made deep by
ploughiug. be rendered friablc by re-
peated STRINGS, and tae surface should
be formed into a smooth seed-bcd II
testimony Is TO be believed. scarcely too
much attention can be given to these
preliminary operations The beet soil
is deep, mellow. sandy loan. with a
psrmeable subsoil. Tie land REQUIRES
10 be well MANFRED. and The manure
Wei mingled with the soil; and an ad-
ditional supply Of commercial fertilizer.
4 i rich superphosphate, should be fur
nished TO the drills. alolg with the seed
About sixteen pounds of seed per acre
aud this should be planted in drills.
about eight inches apart in the row. and
the drills sufficiently far apart 10 admit
OF one horse with implement TO pass be
tween. The nearer these drills are. the
better for the sugar Weld. a. the beet.
dwarfed by crowding. and the smaller
beets, say from one 10 one and one-half
pounds, are richer in sugar than those
of two TO three pounds weight Ii will
always be found desirable TO plant thi.
seed with a machine. Of which there are
many good kinds 10 be obtained. Its
always well to plant considerable seed,
so as 10 escape accidents. When the
beets are thinned. as they should be
when about three .fourths inch high. the
surplus plants can be removed more
economically than new plants can be
grown in the vacant spaces. The depth
10 plant is from one-half inch to one
inch. In DR.. Growers experiments.
the plants from seed planted from five
eighths TO one and one-eighth inches
deep were always the most vigorous
The time for termination depends upon
the mean temperature, aud various
other circumstances. In Haberlandt's
experiments. al about 400 F., it required
twenty-five days for termination; at
about oOs F., the plant was equally ad-
vanced In nine days; al co. f.. in three
anc three-fourths days.
There is usually one boeing or euIli-
waiting of the field before Ihinsing.
and theb civilizations after thinning
Like the corn plant. the beet plant re-
quires frequent stirring of the soil dur
ing growth: and unless this be attended
TO, the farmer need not expect success
Il is a maxim in Germany, that THE
beet requires much hoeing,- aud again,
Hoeing makes sugar Yet care mn-t
be exercised not to continue The hoeing
too late ia the season. TIE beet plant
usually makes leaves before il makes
mich root, and the leaves elaborate the
carbonic acid from the atmosphere, form
product, aud store the product in the
root. Hence there are two stages of
growth 10 he observed the first that OF
leaf growth, the second that of root
growth. During the first stage, fire.
quent cultivation is very beneficial; but
when the leaves are formed, then all
cultivation should al once stop.
In fitting the beets at harvest, . spade
is used 20 loosen the earth and PRIV up
the root, which is then freed from earth
bv knocking two roots together, AMI
then thrown into a pile, the leaves hav-
ing been first cut off by a strong blow
with long knife. The piles are then
Immediately covered with leaves for
protection from the sun, and to prevent
the driving effect Of wind, 50 that the