Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-06-02

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superintendent.
K. John Krebs, superintendent of the
Delaware Beet Sugar Company, has an
article on beet culture III the current
number of The Sugar Beet.
After speaking of beet culture in
Europe and declaring that when once the
industry is properly on its feet it will
show results that one ignorant of the crop
would not dream of, he proceeds to give
some practical suggestions as follows:
There are, no doubt, many farmers who
for years have grown beets for fodder, and
who think they know all about it, but they
must consider that it is not only heets
that are wanted, but sugar also.
1t is not, however, my intention to give
detailed rules for the culture. Detailed
information on this point will he found in
Mr.. Lewis 5. Wares book, The Sugar Beet.
What | want is, in the first place, to
draw attention to these rules; and, in the
second place, to urge the necessity of fol-
lowing them. In conclusion, those who
engage i'll earnest in horticulture ought
at once to secure the best machinery
found in the European market for tilling
their beet fields.
1t is true that labor in Europe is much
cheaper than here, and you might draw
the conclusion that the problem of labor
saving machines had not been solved
there. But this is not the case.
The sums annually spent ON the beet
fields are SO large that the skill of the I'M
plement makers has been taxed to its
utmost to lower the cost and very excel
lent machines have years ago been intro
duced, and no farmer in Europe growing
beets on larger scale thinks Of doing so
without the aid OF these special labor
saving implements. Ill.,
The implements used are the drill,
ring roller, cultivator, and digger. The
drill, that also can be used for grain,
drills in several rows of beets at once, and
generally has special arinature to in
sure the greatest possible uniformity to
the rows.
The ring-roller is of special type, and
has, during the last ten years, come into
almost universal application, owing to its
more than admirable work. 1t is gener
ally used both before and after drilling.
The cultivator takes in several rows at
once, and can be adjus'e ed to different
widths between rows, which also is the
ease with the drills, 1t is used diligently
from the time the young beets make their
first appearance until they are pretty well
developed. 1t is an implement you
cannot get on without, if You want t,
grow beets economically. a..
The digger, for harvesting, generally
takes up two rows of bsets at once. 1t
saves labor, and leaves the ground we'll
stirred.
now come to the distance for plant
ing. The width almost universally
adopted in dermany is Is inches between
rows, and the beets in the rows stand
about 10 inches apart. In France these
distances are slightly wider.
The reason the Germans have adopted
| Is inches is because it is the narrowest
width found practicable with horse cul-
ture. And they have chosen the mar
rowest width, because it is an established
| fact that the nearer the beets are planted
| the richer they become--Ot course, within
| certain limits. In Germany, the duty
| with which the industry is taxed is paid
| per ton of heets and, consequently, the
richer the beets i'll sugar, the less the
| duty-hence the narrow planting.
| In France the duty is on the sugar man
ufactured, and consequently the French
| stem W EfbM a SbllltN lldl SltdLtI hulh tl
beets per acre, whereby they obtain more
cattle food, although at the same time
the beets obtained are poorer in sugar
Here in the States it will be right to follow
the path of the French, and il is conse
quently more than doubtful if Is inches
ever will be established as the width toi
us. At the present moment it is nj
doubt decidedly too narrow, as the fields
in general are not in so high a state oi
cultivation and so rich that the plant can
find the required nourishnent on the
limited space allotted to it. We dare
however, not go to the opposite extrem,
and plant the beeta too far apart, as We
through that will sacrifice the quality o
the beets for the quantity, whereby tn,
beets will BIZ rendered OF small value fol
the manufacturer.
Allow me to say a few words abuut
ridge-cnlture before concluding these re-
marks. The level or fiat culture is tn,
system generally adopted in Europe, M
doubt principally owing to the fact thai
ridge-cuiture is not longer practicabl,
where the rows are as narrow As Is to y
inches; but on poorer land, where til,
beets are grown as wide as q to 30 inche
between rows, the conditions are entirel,
altered, and where the ground is shallow
it presents ready way, obtaining tn,
desired depth without which the bee
cannot develop. As have mentioned
the large majority OF fields here do no
present conditions for narrow culture an,
am consequently of opinion that ridge
culture, in majority of cases, will prov
itself to lie the best, although it ultnuatel
| have TO bt. rtsItlur,.i Inv N
planting and Hat culture. You will, i
Lewis 5. Wares book, page II, find thi
question discussed and illustrated.