Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-01-03
USES HIS HEAD.
A New York Farmers Bright Notion
About Harvesting Sugar Beets.

About Harvesting Sugar Beets.
Anything that will lessen the labor
and cost of harvesting sugar beets is
of value to those concerned in growing
| this crop. A Rural New Yorker writer
tells how one farmer reduced this ex-
pense from $15 an acre the first year
| (1S99 to 1922 last season. He says;
Not small part of this saving was eff
fected in the manner Of removing the
| tops from the beets. Directions that
had been given were to pull the beets
and throw them in piles; then put the
men to work on benches placed by the
side Of the piles, when they pick ur
the beets, lay them on the benches and
cut off the tops, after which the beets
| might be thrown into wagon box OF
into crates, il more desirable than to
throw them into other piles 1t was
| found that it took more than twice as
many men to cut off tops as to pull the
beets after the Otter had been along.
Mr.. Rogers was not satisfied with this
condition of affairs, but began expert
menting and using his head. AS re-
| suit four men now do the cutting fol-
six men to pull.
The way it is done is for the man
who does the pulling to take two rows
at time, pulling from each row with
one hand as he stands between the
rows, they being IS to 20 inches apart
| The points of the beets are then laid
| together between the rows, leaving the
Gil n nj ho no G
are In straight line. Mr.. Rogers says
that he has to be very particular to i'm
press upon the men the Importance OF
the straight line, as otherwise they
are likely to become careless about it,
and any deviation works hindrance
| to the cutters. The cutters now get
J down on their knees, and, grasping the
beets in one hand, they draw the knife
right across, thus severing the tops
with one movement of the knife, aud
with the knife still in position the top
| is moved a little to one side. This is
all the cutters do. If there is a left
handed cutter two men work Side By
size, otherwise the cutter goes down
lg[one side and up the other.
Mr.. Rogers finds that the cost OF cul-
tivating the first time is 81 per acre
This cultivating is done with two
| horse machine, which cultivates two
rows at a time. After this has been
thoroughly done men go through and
| with one stroke of the hoe they cut out
weeds and plants the width of the hoe
leaving the best plants. Men and boys
follow to weed and thin out by hand
This work, after oultivating, costs So
per acre. Later there must be another
wedding at cost of So per acre. Mr.
Rogers raised about 45 acres of sugar
beets this year. If I understand it cor.
rectly, there was considerable cultivat-
ing done with the one horse cultivator
besides that already mentioned.
The cost of harvesting last year was
| 1922 per acre. The first act in harvest
ing sugar beets is to use the "lifter''
This implement consists of two blades
Of suitable length and width attached
to a beam above, and is used some
thing like a plow. The blades pass
each side of the row, and as they are
set at a slight angle nearer together at
the lower tips than above, their pas
sage loosens and slightly raises the
beets. After this is done it is not diff
cult for the men to walk along and pull
the beets, two rows at time.