The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-01-11
Valuable Information for the Farmers
Of Yakima County.
4 HEW AND PROFITABLE INDUSTRY.
The Owner OF the Chine Ranch In
California. she Largest Raiser OF
the sugar.Bces. Gives the Result
OF his Extensive Experience.

interesting:
Friable soils that will raise other good
crops, such as corn, alfalfa and even
grain, will, with an amount Of moisture
equal to rainfall of from 10 to IL inches
each year, and with proper cultivation,
raise good sugar-beets. As to the kind oil
seed best adapted, will say that. after
experimenting with something like O
dozen different varieties, the variety
called by US "No. OF Florimond Des.
prez," which is long beet originated by
selection. and cultivation OF the sell To
one meter 10 depth, is the best kind for
the drier loamy soils where the tap-roo,
will penetrate very deep to bring up the
sustenance OF the plant. For the next
lower grade Of soils have found that the
variety Of beet furnished by LeMaire and
marked IL. r." is very satisfactory
beet, as is also the Klein Wanzlebener,
of which latter there are many varieties,
each given different name, such as the
Vilmorin Amelioree Improved Klein
Wanzlebener, the Desperz Klein Wanzle-
bener and the Original Klein Wanzle-
bener, etc., all OF which are very much
alike and are good varieties, both for ton
mage and sugar, on moderately deep soils
with a medium amount OF moisture. On
the lower or moist lands. such as will
grow alfalfa or. corn, have grown the
Vilmorin Amelioree, so far not with
marked success, as, while the purity and
sugar is very high, the tonnage has been
hardly up to the average. This year l
shall try planting rather late the Inn
proved Klein Wanzlebener in conjunction
with the vilniorin Amelioree.
The first beets cultivated by me on the
Chino ranch in an experimental way
about five years ago, were planted in
small patches, a rod square at each plant
ing, during the different times Of the
year and on different parts Of the ranch,
with the rows 16 inches apart, and ths
beets from six to eight inches apart in the
row; this, soon found, was too close for
our soils, where no rains fell for the sum
mer months, during the growth OF the
beet. When began to plant for regular
field cultivation l planted the rows II
inches apart, with the beets from five to
eight inches apart in. the row. The first
season demonstrated that this was also
too close, and the second year planted
the rows 20 inches apart, with the beets
from six to ten inches apart in the rows
this, find, while the rows are far enough
apart. is still too close in the row for the
larger varieties in the medium tmoist
lands, where the beets should not be
closer than 10 inches apart. This year !
expect to plant the rows 20 inches apart
with. on the uplands, beets 10 to II
inches apart. ON the semi-moist lands s
to 10 inches, and on the moist lands s
inches apart in the rows.
drill In the seeds with machine made
by myself, and which answers the pur-
pose admirably, and plant from IS to Is
pounds Of seed to the acre. II the seed
comes up well, this should make thick
continuous row Of beets, which are
thinned- out by hand (thinning is the
main expense in raising beets) to the dit.
lance apart as above mentioned. All that
is necessary alter thinning is to keep
down the weeds and to keep the land
stirred until the leaves have become SC
large that the working among the beets
has become impracticable. use culti-
vator that for the first cultivation acts as
hoe, cutting-out all the weeds and just
missing the rows; this cultivator is
worked by one man and horse, and
cultivates four rows at a time. The horse
and man should cultivate about 10 aci es
a day. For the last cultivation change
the teeth of the cultivator to stirring
tooth, which leaves the land loose, and il
the last work done until harvest.
The old way OF harvesting is to run the
beet-plow, that has narrow hange along
side the row to loosen the beet. then pull
out the beet by hand and cut off the top
with knife; this is all very expensive
and slow. This year have tried, with
fair success, a pulIer invented by II. B.
Martin, which pulls all the beets, little
and big alike; and leaves them on top Of
the ground, after first having topped
them with q hoe made on purpose and
set at such an angle as to cut the beets off
parallel, or at right angles to the axis Of
their growth.
l have done my loading 30 far by
throwing the beets into the baskets, and
EN- plying the baskets by hand into the
wagons or carts; the beets then go to the
factory, and are unloaded by little
hurdy-gurdy water-wheel, working as a
hoist, that eleyates the beets very quickly
from the wagons and dumps them into
the bins; the wagons are lined with a net,
made on purpose, which when raised on
one side, throws the beets over to the other
and directly into the bins. In this way
l find no trouble in unloading, without
any delay, $50 tors OF beets per day with
three men, which is great saving Of Ia
Dor. time and expense to the farmers, as
there is no time lost and no hand work in
unloading, and the beets are not nearly
so much bruised or injured as would be
the case in unloading with fork. shovel
or any other instrument. expect tc
keep on continually impro ing, with the
help Of Mr.. Martin and others in Chino
on all these methods, until the harvesting
"a Az t..as. ,r;lf 30 .tsx,a ant;.afv iks mn a