Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-12

talk to him about the glories of Texas,
and especially about the splendid pros
poets of the parti 'ular town in which
they live. The same spirit of progress
asserts itself in all the newspapers, from
the great dailies to the smallest and most
obscure country weeklies. All
are Wanting Texas as whole, and their
own special localities as parts of that
whole. The like of this universal spirit
of state pride in state progress has no
counterpart in all these United States. -
1t is simply long pull, strong pull and
a pull altogether. Under the patronage
of such a spirit the heaviest work of any
great movement having Texas progress
as its object lies in its correct start on
the principle of ''be sure you re right,
then go ahead
For our own part, we feel entirely
satisfied that the various sections OF
Texas ought to, at the earliest possible
time, make careful study of this sugar
beet question. 1t is now too late to do
much for the present season in the way of
experimentation but it is not too late to
think the matter over, arrange for seed
and get ready tor tests to be made next
year. The Colorado experiment station
has issued a bulletin on beet culture (bul-
letin No. ~ which contains much useful
information on that direction. The
United States department of agriculture
has lately sent out bulletin treating on
the same subject. According TO the
Colorado bulletin, land inclined to
sandy suits the beet best. The depart
ment of agriculture bulletin says "the
soil should be well drained and with a
good exposure to the light. 1t should be
null rad nd Of
average fertility" There are plenty of
lands in Texas that would fill either of
these bills TO perfection. The Colorado
bulletin says the climate also has much
to do in the success of the crop. The
spring should be warm and not excess
sively wet; the fall should be more in
clined to dry, as 1.-THE formation of
sugar is favored by dry weather and an
uuclouded sky in autumn. This fits
most portions of Texas as well as any
thing could fit. The cultivation recon-
mended by both bulletins may be summed
up as follows:
/. Prepare deep and well-pulverized
seeded.
.. Where fertilizers are necessary do
not use fresh barnyard manure immedi-
ately before planting. If fertilizers are
employed, superphosphates of lime, con-
tanning from 10 to 10 per cent. of avail
able phosphoric acid, may be used at the
rate of 25O to 800 pounds per acre. The
fertilizers may be sown broadcast or
drilled in the rows, and best at the time
of planting.
8. Sow in drills about eighteen to
twenty inches apart, so as to admit of
horse culture between the rows, using
from seven to eight pounds of good seed
per acre.
4. 1t is best to have the beets cult
waited fiat and not planted in ridges. Any
method of cultivation which will keep
out the weeds and keep the ground
thoroughly stirred will be sufficient.
). When ell up thin so that there
shall be one thrifty plant every six or
eight inches (some say ten to twelve)
and take care not to injure the plants in
this process.
g. In cultivation take care to pre-
serve the leaves and throw some earth
to the plants each time. The portion of
the beet which grows above ground does
not contain much sugar.
Z. Harvest when ripe and pre- serve
free from frost.
Sugar beet seed for test may be had in
small packages free by addressing the
secretary of agriculture, Washington,
d. c.