Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-29

W 1udfheS aI u dOIal average COST Ol
$S1 per acre.
Allowing him for rent.... 800
For, ploWing ........... 1.25
Preparing and seeding. ...... 100
For seed.... 4. ..,............. 400
|Cultiyating five times. ........ 100
Thinning and punching. $500. 500
Hpeing twice.. .......... 500
Digging.... So. -. ......... rs
Iopplng.... ............. 4 90
Hauling... -. ............ 500
SLIDING one-half his CROP. 80. 100
Iotal...... 80. ........... S3h. 20
The average price for bsets paid by
the factories in the United States is
81 per ton, Fifteen tons 81 beets per
acre are considered fair yield. This
will make gross receipts per acre, $50,
and will give net profit per acre OF
$29.
a comparison of net results from an
acre of corn can be made by any eN-
periencef farmer The items of labor
in planting, cultivating, harvesting and
the rental of land are practically the
same in both cases. Under most fav-
orable conditions, with present prices
of corn, the net profit per acre cannot
be over 50, or less than one-third that
of beets. In other words twenty-five
acres planted in beets will yield as
much netyprofit as eighty acres of corn,
with less than half the labor.
Whenever the farmer is able to se-
cure a contract for beets in the fall,
he should select a good piece Of ground,
such as will raise good crop of corn,
for wherever he raises good corn he
will be able TO raise good beets. If
he can take oat or wheat stubble ana
plow two or three times in the fall he
will leave land free of weeds for the
following season.
If possible, spread the land before
blowing with well rotted manure, and
plow from ten to twelve inches deep
In case, however, he should not be able
to do any fall blowing he will have to
use the subsoil pillow in the spring, as
it is not advisable to plow ten OF
Twelve inches deep in the spring. The
depth should then be from six to eight
inches for the plow and about six
inches below this for the subsoil plow.
In case the blowing has not been done
in the fall, plow as early in the sprlag
80 AAN SStooid Will u AGIulC VIII
out sticking; because the sooner the
weeds are encouraged to grow, the
more OF them can be killed before
planting the beets, and the land plow-
ed while the weather is cool will retain
the moisture much longer than it will
If ploWed during the warm weather..
In spring never throw up more than
two inches of soil that has not been
disturbed before.
After the spring blowing, harrow
and float once Immediately, and then
leave the ground as it is until the time
to prepare for seed, thus allowing the
weeds to sprout. If the previous crop
was corn 1t is absolutely necessary. ID
take the stalks and roots off in the
right manner, in order to permit the
use of proper horse cultivation. The
best way is to remove the mold board
from the plow, which will enable You
to loosen the roots without turning the
corn under. Then gather the stalks
and roots up with horse rake into
piles, and after burning as much as
possible, haul off the remainder.
Land that has been fall plowed mus:
be narrowed as soon as the frost is. oui
of the ground and the soil is dry
enough to prevent sticking. This work
will level the ground and will keep the
moisture in the ground and increase
the termination of the weeds. To Sc
cure a good crop and save labor, it is
necessary to kill all the weeds in tbs
ground before seeding. Here is whers
most failures occur. When the weeds
are allowed to get "a start the cultiva.
i finn nf fha mill
unnecessary and expensive hand labor
| Whenever you get ready for seeding
we advise working the soil four or five
inches with a pulverizer or corn cultiva
tor, as it is necessary to loosen all the
weeds that have already started
Harrow the soil perfectly and finisl
killing the weeds. After this pack thu
! top soil with roller of heavy planl
float. The better the soil is packed
latter the weeds are killed the bette
| the beet seed will sprout.
i All this work can be performed at ;
thine when the ground is in a GOO
working condition, that is, not to-
ldamp. The working of wet soil mus
be avoided. In an average season tn
field mnst be prepared and seeded tn
lsame day, this being the only way TIL
moisture can be kept in the ground
To secure full yield it is necessar
| to have good stand. The time o
i planting is from April 20 to May q
Tor about the season of corn planting
4 Twenty pounds of seed per acr
should be used to secure a good stand
because, should the weather be Dir
the best seed will come up first an
there will be enough for good stand
land on the other hand, should a crus
be formed on the field after a heav
rain, the crust should be broken by
very light narrowing; or one plan
will help the others to break thr
| the ground, Seeders made especial
for this purpose and seeding fou
rows at a time will plant from ten t
twelve acres a day.
II Never plant over thIee-quarters 9
Ian inch deep. The heavier the so
4 and the earlier the planting, the sha
4 lower must be the sowing, in order t
prevent the seed from rotting in til
lground. The deeper the seed is plan
led, especially in heavy soils, the veal
er the plants will be after they CON