The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-05-26

WoRrHIN0roN. MINN. MAY 26. 1892.
THE CULTURE OF SUGAR BEET.
We gave notice. q week or two ago,
that u quantity Of the seed Of the su-
gar Feet had been sent for distribution
among the farmers Of Mobiles county,
and that Mr.. Shell, to whom the seed
Was sent, had left it at the Feed Store
Of Mr. J. II. BLY,, where farmers and
gardeners can call and get supply
for experimental planting. Prof. Har-
pes, formerly Chemist to the United
States Experiment Station of Mime
sofa. publishes the following direc-
tions In regard to the planting and
culture OF the seed. and if these are
carefully followed. we have no doubt
tho experiments made this year will
demonstrate that sugar beets can be
raised :iu this county, and thus a new
and valuable crop will be added to the
resources of the farmers. We hope that
our euterprlsing farmers will not only
make >ths trial q per directions, but
make report of tue results when they
are realized:
DIRECTIONS.
When the plants get to a height of
about four inches thin out with hoe
Ur by wedding to the distance of four
to six inches in the row, and then by
hand wedding thin out all of the plants
n II nj IN no ~,
plant, 80 that there shall be left one
plant to every four or Eve or six inches.
This, In case the soil is inclined to be
heavy; if the soil is very light they can
be thinned out to distance of eight
to ten iuches in row.
Cultivate the soil very frequently so
% to keep clean from weeds, and when
the plants get to such a height, and
the leaves become so large that further
cultivation might injure or break the
leaves, bill up around each plant and
cease all cultivation.
Direct tests by government stations
In Europe and the best individual seed
growers show that the amount of SUI
gar is dependent, after the soil, climate
and temperature, upon the amount of
cultivation given. The more cultiva-
ton the richer the beets in sugar, the
better the yield, the m 're uniform the
size of the beets, and the better the
crop for sugar making purposes in
every way.
The reasons for planting and culti-
vatiDg the beets, in the way described,
are essentially as follows:
Beets for sugar making must not ex-
coed three pounds in weight in the
clean root; larger beets than these do
not have the amount of sugar necessa-
ry, are not as easily handled and Ordi-
narily cannot he manufactured as pro-
ftably into sugar, and the yield per
acre will not be 80 great.
BY planting in rows as close togeth-
er rs eighteen inches, and by keeping
the beets as close rs four to six inches
or eight, in the rows the size OF the
beets is reduced and made uniform,
and what has been lost in tonnage from
the weight of single beets is made up.
and more than made up, by the greater
number Of beets that AL acre will
yield.
Planted in rows eighteen inches
apart and one beet every SIX or eight
inches, an acre will contain about fifty
Thousand plants. If these mature with
the clean roots weighing about one
pound, An acre will yield about twenty
five tons, but on our soil the beets will
Average nearer tn two and half
pounds, so that the extreme tonnage
yield will be increased.
In onr work last year the yield of
clean roots to the acre varied from
eight tons to forty-eight tons, and in Il
goud season in California several years
ago, there were three hundred and FIVE
tons OF clean roots raised from FIVE
acre field. estimate that our lands
should yield an average of from fiftern
10 twenty tons at least, il the djrec-
tions given are followed out, and We
are anxious to have the results show
not how many beets can be raised, be-
cause this will come after the farmers
understand how to raise good beets,
but how rich beet can be raised.
The value Of u sugar beet for sugar
making purposes depends upon the
amount OF sugar it contains.
Any established factory would con
tract to buy boats ut Il minimum price
Of 81 per ton If they were fit for max
ing sugar, and if the beets should con
tain as much as twenty per cent. sugar
they could afford to pay in the neigh
borh0od Of $500 per ton.
Every hours cultivation given the
beets after they have spronted and are
up, means a hundred fold yield in the
results. For example:
This seed if planted and the beets be
given no great attention, would proba-
bly, yield beets containing as much rs
ten to eleven per cent. sugar, but di-
rectly in proportion to the amount of
cultivation given may these beets be
improved to yield as high as twenty or
twenty-five per cent. sugar. Beets have
been raised yielding as high as 26 4-10
per cent. of sugar.
We raised them on the State Farm
the past year, when Onr conditions,
for various reasons and late planting
were unfavOrable to the best results,
containing as high as twenty and one
half per cent. sugar. There is no soil
In the world better adapted to raising
the best sugar beets, nor other farmers
more capable, If they will undertake
the work, than is the soil and are the
farmers Of Minnesota.
In harvesting the beets, run through
between the rows with potato litter
aud. then pick the beets out, cut the
leaves off and about one half or an inch
Of the crown. Further instructions
will be sent yon or published in you,
papers regarding the harvesting of thu
beetS in ample time.
Do not plant this seed on swampy
or low, wet land.
DO not plant on land which you hav'
recently fertilized.
do not plant in wide rows. as you d.
for stock beets.
Do not fail to thin the beets ou
early.
DO not fail so cultivate freely.
Do not fail to hill up we'll at your las
cultivation.
Do not let the dirt fall on the leave
while you cultivate.
Do not plant the seed where tn
beets cannot get the sun. Sunshln
makes sugar.
n NJ HARPER