Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-10-01
LOSS IN BEET YIELDS.
More Careful Cultural Methods
Would Mean Greater Profits For
Growers,

Variations in the yield of sugar
bcets under apparently similar con-
ditions are SO stricking that the de-
partment has recently conducted an
Investigation into the causes for these
differences. The yield of sugar bects
per acre in the United States is low
er, with the exception of Russia, than
that OF any of the other beet-produc-
ing countries. In Germany, the ave
rage is l484 tons; in Russia, 8.93; and
in the United States. 1917. Climatic
conditions, the character of the soil,
and the relative cost OF labor and land
which prevents as much work being
spent on each acre as is done in Eu-
rope, account, of course for much OF
the differences in yield. But even
when no such factors have to be ta-
ken into consideration, in the same
localities, on soil of the same char
acter, under cultural methods that ap-
pear indentical. there is the widest
range in the yield 1t is no uncom-
mon thing to find one farmer haul
ing 20 tons of beets from each acre
to the factory when his neighbor can
barley muster or 8.
The department investigations in
to this problem, which are published
in Department Bulletin No. 238, were
carried on in Utah for a period OF J
years. The investigations reached the
conclusion that the variations in yield
| were due to deficiencies OF stand
Previous Investigations had shown
that the ideal stand for sugar beets
may be taken as $4,000 plants per
acrc-the result of leaving beets
inches apart in rows 20 inches apart.
A larger stand than this under ordiy-
| nary conditions causes overcrowd
ing; a smaller stand means waste OF
land. 1t was found, however, that
without actually counting the plants,
| ii was impossible to distinguish be-
| OF this standard.
The loss occurred in the germina-
tion stand before thinning, during the
process of thinning and blocking, and
| during the cultural operations be-
tween thinning and harvesting. In
the departments experiment. it was
sustained an average loss of close to
70 per cent. The causes for this may
be found in poor preparation of the
seed bed, imperfect operation of seed
drills, late frosts, the damping-off dis
ease, or the ravages of such pests as
flea beetles, cut worms, or wire
worms.
The greatest single source OF loss
in the stands, however, was found to
be improper thinning In this coun-
try this work is usually done by a
poor, class of hired labor or else by
contract. 1t is seldom efficiently sup
ervised, and the laborers receive the
same pay whether it is properly or
improperly done The investigators
found that almost invariably the
space left between the plants was
greater than the farmer intended it
to be, although this fact was not ap-
parent after the plants attained a
moderate growth. The average loss
from this source was estimated to be
approximately rs per cent.
After thinning there was further
loss in the field before the harvest.
Some plants were destroyed by the
hand hoe, some by the horses, or by
carelessness with the cultivators. The
total loss from these sources was
estimated at an average OF approx
matcly 2 per cent. Thus, in the ex-
pcrimental plot, which furnished the
data for the investigations. there was
! a total deficiency OF over 50 per cent