Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-17
A Comprehensive Article on the
Subject.
FARMER SHOULD READ AND CONSIDER
e. He Gibson, the Representative of the
Iowa Beet Sugar Developing Com-
pany, Will be In the City
Next Week.
from SATURDAYS Daily.1

resentative of the Iowa Beet Sugar De-
veloping company, will be in town for
the purpose of assisting the local COM
mittee in securing the acreage desired
by the company on which to grow SUI
gar beets for practical demonstration
that Wapello county will grow them.
He will remain until Saturday aud it
behooves the farmers who are APP
preached to carefully consider that
which is offered before rejecting the
proposition. The committee has been
working hard and has secured a por-
ton of the acreage. 1t is expected
that Mr.. Gibson's visit will greatly aid
in the desired end.
Apropos of beet culture the follow
ing article from the pen of d, b. Ly-
ons, secretary of the company, just
now will be of special interest:
Gas the culture of the sugar beet
for commercial purposes is entirely
new to the Iowa farmer, it would not
be surprising if he should at first con-
slider the process very laborious one
He is therefore, reminded that while
the growing of the beets does require
than many other crops, the profit from
lhSul Is LluCl SICdlGls duA Vic
acreage required is small. It should be
referred to below, it is an easy matter
to drill or cultivate ten acres in one
day.
Not less than twenty pounds OF
seed to the acre should be used, and it
is highly advisable to plant twenty-five
or even thirty pounds. An extra dol
lar or two expended on seed will fire.
quently return four times it's amount
in yield. Extreme care should be talk
en- to get good seed, the safer plan
being to purchase thru some factory
engaged in the manufacture of beet
sugar or at least to have their advice
upon the matter"
Right here, it might be said, that
man interested in beet culture as John
S. Emery, of Des Moines is and having
as much at stake in the success of the
project as he will have should the Wa
pello county farmers take hold of the
matter. would be as likely 10 select
the best kind of seed, so absolutely no
risk will be run in this direction and
it may with perfect safety be left to
him.
Continuing his paper on the subjecc
Mr.. Lyons says:
"A drill, adjustable to the depth of
planting, should be used, and none of
the seed should be planted more than
three-quarters of am inch deep. The
natural result of planting none of the
seed deeper than this, is that consid-
cradle portion will not be deeer than
one-quarter to one-half of an inch.
If n heavy rain should come, that
which has been planted deepest may be
SO covered with dirt as not to gernli-
nate. That which has been planted
shallow will be covered to about a
proper depth. If such rain does not
come, the original planting will result
satisfactorily.
"The best style to use is four-row
machine in both drills and culsiva1ors
siSty-four inches in width. It is also
desirable to use pattern drill which
will leave small ridges after planting.
This will prevent the formation of a
| crust and prevents the wind from
blowing the seed out, as will be well
understood by the farmer. Ordinarily,
in about eight days from the time of
planting, the beets will show above
the surface, giving the appearance of
a ribbon of green across the tield,about
two inches in width. A few days later
they will have reached the second pair
of leaves, at which time the cultiva-
ton between the rows should begin.
The cultivator should be of pattern
equipped with knives, and during the
first cultivation it is well to have a
! boy lead the horse. At best there will
be more or less covering up and tramp
ing upon the young plants, so that it is
| we'll to wait day or two until they
have Strengthened up before beginning
to bunch and thin.
For the punching process, the ordi-
| nary seven-inch garden hoe is the pro-
per tool, which should be we'll sharp
ened. Begin at the end of the row,
leave two inches and cut out seven,
skip two and cut out seven, and so
continue the process. This is not hard
| work, as it is better that the hoe
| should not cut so deeply into the
ground, simply cutting off the beets
and weeds Immediately below the sur
face. In this punching process go
| around the land as any farmer would
| in blowing, not returning upon the
| next row. This will prevent the form
ing of ridges between the rows.
Immediately thereafter comes the
thinning, which is done by hand and
for which children should have the de-
cided preference. They learn to do it
more deity and destroy fewer plants.
The usual price paid to children when
they are hired to do this work, is 10
cents for an eight-rpd row, of which
there are about twenty-five to the acre.
For the first two or three days child
from 10 to IA years of age will earn
from so cents to SLIGO, and even more
than this. This ample compensation
solves the question of securing chill
dren to do this work, as has been de-
termined over and over again. In most
| communities the school terms have
closed for the summer by the time the
children are needed TO do this work.
The child moves along the rows on
hand and knees removing from each
bunch every beet and weed except one
beet. 1t will now be seen that if this
work is done perfectly, the beets re-
/, naming are nine inches apart in the
row, and the rows sixteen inches apart
making 144 square inches, or one
, square foot of soil to each beet. This
i has been determined to be the ideal
i ~, eek; ~