The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-07-14

OH and as soon as the ground was
dry enough to work, he narrowed il
thoroly in both directions, not merely
once, but a number of times, and also
ran the clod smasher over it to mash
the clods and followed that with the
harrow to make a dust mulch to hold
the moisture. Then he left it fol
about a month SO that the weed seeds
nearly all sprouted. When it was
time to drill in the beets he harrow.
ed the ground thoroly in both direc.
tions to kill the weeds. This is the
treatment for the ground that was
plowed last fall. For the spring
blowing he first puts on a double coat
of with the manure spreader
He followed close with the two-way
pillow, and the subsoiler followed the
pillow. Each of these outfits consist
ed of three horses. The harrow, with
four horses, was kept working right
after the pillow and sub-soiler. Within
the hour that the manure was placed
on the ground, it had been plowed
under and the ground thoroly har.
rowed. The manure did not have a
chance to dry out before being pillow.
ed under, and the plowed ground did
not have a chance to dry out before
being narrowed and made firm. The
whole field had been loosened by the
pillow and subsoiler to the depth OF
from 20 to 25 inches, and it held
the moisture, losing very little of it,
The beet seed was drilled in thinner
than is usually done, it being Mr.
Hale's theory that beets should be
from 20 to rs, inches apart in the
rows, and that with fairly good seed
it is better to plant them thin, as it
makes the task of blocking and thin
ming lighter. When this work is be-
ing done, Mr.. Hale does two things
that the ordinary beet raiser does
not. He saves the largest and best
looking plants, even tho they are not
in the position that he wants them.
The small, weakly looking plant that
is in about the right place is cut out
to give room for the better plant that
IN. not in quite the right place. Mr..
Hale thinks this gives more tons per
acre than to sacrifice the good plant
for the little one that is in the right
spot. The other thing he does that
most men do not is to back the hoe
out after each stroke, dropping the
dust back where it was rather than
jerk it towards him and leave a hole
in the beet row The reason for this
is, that he wants to preserve the dust
mulch unbroken. By taking some of
the dirt out of it's place on each side
of the plant it opens up a means for
the escape of the moisture and it
leaves the beet in a dry hard place
rather than in the mellow moist soil
that it should be,
Mr.. Hale's beet field was level and
smooth like a carpet with no breaks
in the dust mulch thru which the
moisture could escape. When we eX-
amined it on the fifth of July the
moisture stood within two and a half
inches of the top of the ground. The
soil was in such a condition that a
handful of it when pressed would
pack and hold together. This condi-
tion existed to the bottom of the soil.
Mr.. Hale said that he examined the
roots of many of the beets at thin
ming time and found that they had
penetrated nine or ten inches
in depth. He thinks the beets will
be as long as the soil was deep and
that they will not need irrigating I'M
til after the first of August. When
he begins watering he will use a
small stream in each furrow, that
will run thru and water it all alike.
He will try to have the burrows open
and clear so that the water will not
back up to overflow or reach the tops
Of the beets.
Mr., Hale farms his land right up
the the fence row. When he gets
near the fence, he curves the furrow
until the pillow cuts close to the fence,
hen turning back he starts the next
at the middle of the curve.
This, he says, keeps the land straight
and enables him to plow right up to
he fence using, as we said, the two
way pillow. When the seed is drilled
n he has six rows drilled cross-ways
or turn rows, and he turns on them
10 carefully and c%ultivates them so
veil, that he thinks he gets the same
,ield from the turn-rows that he does
rom any other part of the field.
after the beets come up he rolls them
With the mulch roller to kill the
weeds and preserve the dust mulch.
t is Mr.. Hale's theory that early
Watering of beets means early ripen-
that ever tho the eason is long
/ is impossible to keep them growing
.fter the time fixed for ripening by
he first irrigation. After he starts
water them he keeps them moist
nough to be in good growing 'condi-
ion right up to the time Of digging.
God growing condition to him
leans good condition for digging, so
g keeps the moisture on the beets
light thru from the time he begins
'rigating until digging. When the
eets are topped Mr.. Hale has the
DDS thrown in little piles, or cones.
OF over one and a half feet in dia-
,eter and leaves them there until
ONE time in the fall or winter, when
g hauls them to the barn yard or
BED yard to be used. By this means
1ey are kept in good condition, while
put in larger piles they heat and
poll. Last winter he fed beet tops
!, his stock until about the first of
Larch. When hay was selling at
abulous prices he was still feeding
eet tops.
Mr.. Hale handles the potato
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