The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-14

| The department. Investigations in
| connection with the DEVELOPMENT of
I single-germ beet seed have been con-
/ tinued during the past year and the
! percentage of single-germ seeds has
been increased from IS per cent per
1 plant, for the year previous. to so per
| cent, in some Instances, and upwards
7 of 80 per cent in many more, so that
the tendency IS toward q higher per
centage of singles each generation.
! The ultimate establishment of sin
sle-geTm beet viii TevOlutionize sugar
beet growing. since several sprouts are
sent up by the ordinary seed; all but
one Of these must be carefully removed
by hand-the most difficult problem in
beet raising
Blocking, Thinning, Wedding.
What is meant by single germ seed q?
The small, rough beet seeds are really
the shells called bolts, each of which
contains from two to seven seeds.
When. therefore. the beet seeds are
thickly planted in rows, as they must
be in order to make sure of a good
stand, there will be far too many of
the seeds come up. They cannot Ne
velOp when so close together. since the
large beet root requires much room.
The first thing to be done after the
beets are fairly up, is known as Gull
ing and blocking. We first Gull out
with a hoe d blank space of about a
foot, and then leave d portion of beets,
say. about six inches in length, stand
ing as they were planted.
Then comes the most laborious of the
processes of beet culture. the beets
must be weeded out by hand, leaving
only the largest one in each of those
punches that were spared by the hoe
A person must go on hands and knees
to do this work; narrowing must fol-
low. since the weeders trample and
harden the soil. Cultiva ton of the soil.
to keep il loose, fine, and in good condi-
ton IS TO moisture content must be
more or less continuous from this har-
rowing to harvest.
Periods of Irrigation.
1t is not good plan to irrigate too
soon- The object is to develop a long
root Early watering keeps the roots
at the surface. Irrigation is therefore
deferred as long as possible. i'm order
to make the roots go down into the soil
in search of water. Even the willing
of the leaves In the daytime Is not
sure sign that the beets need water IF
they freshen up at night, they can get
along.
Beet irrigation has three periods. The
first is the pIantlet period If the soil
is in proper condition-if il has sufl-
cient moisture-irrigation during the
plantlet period is not necessary This
period lasts two months. and then
comes the first irrigation. From this
time till maturity, the soil should be
kept very moist-a period, usually of
about two months. The third, the sugar.
storing period, begins when the beet is
full grown. Not till then does il be
gin 10 tore sugar. In this stage. If the
soil has rot been in perfect condition.
some irrigation may still be necessary.
As rule, irrigation and cultivation
should cease when the tops cover all
the spares between the rows. IF the
leaves wilt, however, irrigation must
follow.
Operations of Harvesting.
Harvest time is indicated by the
turning yellow of the outer leaves-a
sign that sugar-storiBg has ceased. If
rain prevents immediate harvesting.
the beet tops may sprcut anew and the
new growth will consume some of the
stored sugar. At the college. such an
occurrence resulted in a loss of 4 Der
cent OF the sugar. Freezing does no
harm in this stage, but freezing and
sndNlns are injurious
In the harvest. the first operation is
ilfting- BY means of a side pillow, the
deep roots are broken and the beet is |
lifted about two inches along with the |
raised soil. Then the men go along |
the rows, lift out the beets and lay them
with their tops all pointing the same
way. The third operation is topping
which is done with large knife. usual 4
~ at one blow while the beet is held il
the other hand. The tops should be |
cut off below the crown. since this part |
Of the beet contains many mineral sub
stances that interfere with the extrae- |
ton Of the sugar
Profits Per Acre.
Lastly, the beets are hauled to the
factory. The juices Of the beet are ex-
tracted with difficulty. They contain 1