The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-05-27
HOW TO RAISE SUGAR BEETS.

This seed is given to you for the
purpose of testing the quality of your
soil for raising sugar beets. The
manufacture of sugar from sugar
beetS is so profitable and the amount
of sugar used in the state of Minneso-
ia is so great that there is no QueS-
tiOn but that factories will he erected
as soon as it is positively shown that
the farmers know how to raise beetS
and will do so. There is room in the
state of Minnesota for at least
twenty-five or thirty factories; that
will require an acreage for each fac
tory of at least one thousand to two
thousand acres of land.
The results OF our work last year
and year before show that the condi-
lions over the state of Minnesota are
as rule favorable to the production
of exceedingly good beets, but our re-
suits have so far not been full enough
and complete; it is therefore the in
tention to repeat these experiments
and upon larger scale.
In raising beetS it is not the guam
tity which you can raise to the acre,
but the quality of the beets which
makes it profitable. To get the best
results as far as the quality of the
beet is concerned depends first of all
upon the soil, but chiefly upon the
cultivation. which the farmer gives.
Therefore, in your work this year with
this seed, do not endeayor to get
large tonnage, but follow the instruc-
tiOnS carefully so as to get the best
beets.
Analysis will be made of all these
beetS and those having the largest
amount Of sugar are the most valu-
able for sugar making. In using this
seed make a selection of your best
soil adapted to this work, which [
will describe as follows:
A mia, moist, loamy soil with a
good quantity of sand in it, not
sWampy, but rather lying high, well
drained, aud which has just yielded
crop IF potatoes or corn or some grain.
1t is best to use land which has been
cultivated during the past three
years at least; older land than that
VIII he equally good.
DO not IN any case plant this seed
upon new land which has not yet
raised d crop. If you have fall plowed
land which you have worked over this
year it is best to use that.
Do nOO under any condition put
stable manure upon this land as it is
a mistaken idea of our farmers that
highly fortified land is necessary.
For sugar beetS you want land that
has not yet been fertiliZed at all.
Land which has been plowed deep,
say from nine to ten inches, is best,
and ii will certainly pay you, if you
have not such deep land, to prepare
some. However, good beets have
been grown during the past year upon
land which has not been plOwed so
deeply.
CONDITION OF SOIL.
A t6er having selected land as des-
cr,hed above, get it in fine condition
b. narrowing. or as this seed will
plant bu5 3 small strip of land, you
migh6 be able to spade it so that it
viii be IN the very best condition,
that is, where all the Jumps are
broken up and the bed is in the con-
0ltlon of ii garden patch.
TINE TO PLANT, ETC.
DO not plant the seed, unless it
SD lid turn off quite warm, much, if
auy,hefore the 18th of May, or at the
time it would be proper for you to
piaut corn. The day upon which you
put the Ded in it's final fine condition,
,.lant the seed in rows eighteen to
Invent y-four inches apart, the closer
tne better, and if the land is moist
to depth Of one-half inch; if the soil
has become dry put the seed in about
Two inches deep.
Plant the beets on a level, not in
ridges, and cover. If the seed is
planted too deep it will not sprout as
well. Plant at the rate of twenty