Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1914-03-13


creased.
Low temperatures are most likely to
be injurious to sugar beets when the
plantlets are just breaking through
the ground. At this period the young
plants are very tender and susceptible
to injury by frost, but after the roots
are established in the soil they rapidly
become hardy and resistant to frost to
marked degree. Since the time OF
killing frosts varies from year to year
in the same territory it is not always
possible to avoid injury from this
cause. A killing frost when the beets
are coming up does not destroy the
chance for a successful beet crop, but
it often necessitates the expense and
labor of replanting. 1t is therefore
wise to delay the planting until the
ground is warm and the growing con-
ditions are otherwise favorable, since
such conditions will rapidly push the
beets beyond the period of frost in
jury. When the beets are mature
they will stand a severe freeze with
out injury. The great danger from
Flow temperatures at the end of the
growing season Is that the beets may
be frozen In the ground, making the
harvesting of the crop difficult or
even impossible. To avoid this danger
and the consequent loss that might re-
suit from such a condition it is advisa-
BILE to get the beets out of the ground as
soon as possible after they are ripe
and to cover them to avoid freezing
or dying. Apparently beet roots are
not injured for sugar-making purposes
by freezing, provided that they freeze
and remain frozen until they are put
through the mill. but alternate freez-
ing and thawing causes them to de-
cay and blacken, so that their value
for sugar making il materially de-
creased.
Winds are briefly mentioned in con-
nection with soil selection for sugar
beets, but they have still wider bear
ing upon crop conditions. Not only do
high winds have tendency to des-
troy young beets and other plants by
cutting and burying them with shift
ing sands, but they have marked in
fluence upon the amount of evapora-
ton from the soil. For this reason
given amount of moisture in a locality
where hot, dry winds prevail during
the spring is much less effective in
crop production than would be the
same amount of moisture in a locality
where winds do not prevail. other
conditions being the same.
However, the injurious effects of
winds may Re overcome to a great ex-
tent by the use Of proper cultural
methods. For example, both the blow
ing of the soil and the excessive evap-
Grafton may often be reduced to the
point of successful crop production by
keeping the urface of the ground
covered with a lump mulch. The
mulch retards the evaporation. while
its lump condition reduces the shifting
of the soil. The cutting action of the
shifting sand may be controlled by
planting the beet rows at right angles
to the direction of the prevailing
winds when practicable and by at
taching irrigating shovels to the drills,
so that ridges capable of protecting
the young plants will be thrown up
between the rows at planting time.
1t is true that the slope of the land
and the consequent direction of irri-
CATION must also be considered in
planting the beets, but whenever prac-
ticable the rows should be at right
angles to the direction of the prevail
ing winds.