Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-05-04
IRRICATE SUGAR
BETS EARLY
BY George Stewart, Utah Expert
nent Station


1t is frequently profitable to irrJ
gate sugar-beets much earlier than Is
usually done. It is often necessary
% irrigate them while the land is still
rather moist underneath. This is be-
cause of the grounds drying out at
the surface for two or three inches in
depth before the beets have grown to
sufficient size to penetrate into the
deep soil. When this takes place
there is layer on top that Is COM
pletely devoid of soil moisture and
which would not be troublesome If
the beets reached well below it.
Unfortunately, it happens too often
that this drying takes place before the
beets have grown beyond the dried
area. When this condition does arise
it is necessary to irrigate the surface
in order to wet it sufficiently to per-
NIT the beets to continue growing.
necessary because before the time for
a second application has come around
the beet roots have gone down some
distance into the damp soil.
This first irrigation should not be
heavy application. Only enough wa
ter is necessary to thoroughly mois-
ten the dry surface.
1t is sometimes advocated that on
ly each alternate space have a fur
row in it. 1t has been found better
at the Experiment Station, however,
to make rather small burrows and
place these close to the sugar-beets
on one side Of the space rather than
trying to irrigate in the middle.
When the furrow is made in the mid
die Of the space between two rows
rather heavy applications aren eces-
Bary in order to cause the water to
soak over to the beets.
There is an old idea prevalent in
much of the State which says that
crops should not be irrigated until 1t
IS absolutely necessary. This, how
ever, is not true on account Of the
fact that the plants wilt very easily
and begin to suffer at once for water.
There has been nothing by way OF ir.
rigation that has been so harmful az
delaying the first application until
the crops suffer seriously. Many OF
the beets die from lack Of moisture
and many others are SO weakened
that disease are able to take hold
of them.
nrn IT nof
about our experimental work on beets
has been that beets properly manur-
ed and properly irrigated are injured
by disease to only very slight ex-
tent whereas beets that lack both
fertility and moisture are sometimes
attacked TO an extent of practically
100 per cent.
In 1919 when there was such a
general attack Of Phoma root-rot 1t
was observed that, on poor land and
on late irrigated beets, the injury
was about twice as great and In some
cases five times as great as on land
that had been properly cared for in
these two respects. People who
visited the Experiment Farm in Lo-
gan were without exception struck by
the great resistance to disease OF
beets that had been MANFRED and ir-
rigated.
In this connection it is also wis.,
dom to see that seedbeds are proper
ly packed Of the fact that loose
surface permits lack Of soil moisture
by evaporation. This creates the
same condition that delayed irrigation
would bring about. Very loose seed
beds and rather steep slopes are
much more likely to suffer from di-
seases Of any sort than where the
proper conditions are provided.
Here is one of the opportunities Tor
a grower Of sugar beets to stop large
leak in his income. On the average
the sugar-beet yields are only about
half of what they should be and
here il one of the easy things to do TO