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Planting Sugar Beets

Planting Sugar Beets image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
April
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The present revival of interest in the subject of suear beets which lias found expression in a multitude of letters of inquiry to tliis station makes it seem wise to issue a special bulletin on the climate, soil, varietv of beets and melhods of cultivation suited to tliis state. Farmers must remember tbat to produce beet sugar cheaply, and to successfully compete witb tlie producers in other countries, the best and latest machinery must be used. The buildings and equipment of a first-cltiss beet sugar factory, and such alone are profitable, cannot cost less than two liundred and fifty thousand dollars. The investment of tliis large amonnt of capital cannot be expected until the locality is able tb fully demónstrate tliut ii suffieient number of farmers wil] pledge themselvos to produce annually about three thonsand acres of sugar beet. This is no slight undertaking as 1 1 ie supply of beets must be maiiitained whether tbe season is favorable or otliervvise. Moreover, sugar beets sbould foriu but one factor in fouryears' rotation, henee tbere must be at least eight to ten thonsand acres within reaching'distance of tbe factory adapted to beets. The flrst step to be taken, therefore, in introducting this new business into the state, is to edncate the farmers in correct methods oí planting, cultivating and harvesting the erop. Special knowledge and no littlo experience is neeessary to the successful, economical growing of these somewhat fastidious vegetables. CLIMATE. It has been fairly well demonstrated ;hat the best climatic conditions for sugar beets are confined to a belt of country two hundred miles wide, the central line of which joins the points where the average summer temperature s seventy degrees Fahrenheit. In Michigan this line, after skirting the southern border of Lake Erie, enters tlie state in its southeastern corner comes northwest to the vicinity of Lansing, bends southward and passes out of the state at a point near South Bend, indiana. It is safe to say, therefore, that, as far as general climatic condi;ions are concerned, all of the southern aeninsula as far north at least as the northern borders of Oceana, Newaygo, [sabella, Midland and Bay counties can grow sugar beets successfully. A monthly rainfall of not less than wo inches characterizes our summer season and a comparison of the summer climate of Michigan with that of the jest districts of France and Germany shows that we have good climatic conditions in our state. May and June sliould have enough rain to secure a vigorous start and a well developed tap root so that the plant eau well withstand a moderate drougth later. A warm July and August with abundance of sunshiue and a September with ))enty of ripening weather are favorable to the erop. If, as happens, September and October are warm and rainy a fresh growth of leaves starts and, instead of ipening properly, the roots lose in quality and the yield of sugar is greatly essened. A wet fall and a dry Juue are equally disastrous. Fortunately the najority of our seasous are favorable. KIND OP SOIL. The sugar beet requires no particular íind of soil for its best production. -Vny soil that will grow a good erop of ndian corn or potatoes will, uuder jroper oultivation, produce a erop of )eets. The soil must be open and porous with sub-soil either naturally loose, or broken by a sub-soil plow in order hat the growingbeetmay penétrate and not be pushed above the surface of the 'round by its growth. A deep sandy oain is excellent while a stifí tenacious lay is not suited to the industry. .1 eclaimed swamp and m ucky soils generlly cannot be used for the production of he sugar beets. They will yield a large rop of beets hut with a small content of ugar. MAN'UKING. The land must not be recently manurd or the beets will not have the true ylindrical or elongated conieal form ut will be divided up into many jranches toward the apex. Such beets would be refused by any factory. The oil must, therefore, be naturally fertile r must be made so by manuring at east two years before planting the beet eed in order that the fertility may be ïoroughly distributed through the soil nd completely mixed with it. Comnercial fertilizers, especially those rich i in potasli and phosphoric aciii, can be applied witli great freedom to beet fields. Nitrogen in varioús íorins must be used witli caution us it tends to proi duce a heavy growth with consequent dirainution of the sugar content. Heavy manuring just prior to the sowing of the beet seed is injurioiis to the erop. The silgar beet should form a factor in a good scheme of rotation. For southern Michigan the following is suggested: Wheat followed by beets, then clover, one crop cut for hay, the second plow under, then potatoes or corn, then wheat and finally beets again. In this scheme the nianure inay be applied before planting the corn or potatoes, and vvill become thoroughly incorporated before the beet seed is sown. Beets ghould follow wheat or a cereal crop, thus enabling the ground to be plowed in the auturnn, wbich is quite essential. VAEIKTY To secure the largest yield of sugar per acre great care is requisite in the selection not only in the varieties but of the best strains of the chosen varieties. Modern sugar beets are abnormally rich in sugar. This unnatural svveetness is secured by selecting, generation after genération, the richest beets ior the production of seed. Among the best varieties rnay be mentioned Vilmorin's Imported and the Kloinwanzleben bred byDippe Brothers at Quedlinburg, in Saxony. The lattei is undoubtedly the best in the hands o. inexperienced farmers. The station in informed that seeds can be secure from Zimpel Bros., 37 Beaver St., New York ; August Ruiker & Sons, i:;i Vest24th st., New York City; C. II. Dietz, 6. Gold st., New York, or Meyer E Raapke, Omaha, Neb. PLANTING AND Cl'I.ÏIVATIN'il. The ground should be plowed deep, in loamy soil witb a subsoil not to tenaoious fully eight or ten inches. Unless the subsoil is naturally mellow a subsoil plow should follow the regular one, stirring up the ground to a depth of sixteen or twenty inches, and leaving the subsoil still in the bottom of the furrow. If the plowing is done in the fall the ground should lie rough through the winter. In the early spring it should be harrowed until the surface is as mellow and fine as an ideal garden. On sandy loam the soils with a naturally loóse texture, use the roller to secure compactness. On soils containing much clay, when at all moist, the roller will do more harm than good. As soon as the soil reaclies a temperature of flfty degrees F. and certainly before the niiddle of May the seed should be plauted. The seed germinates at a lower temperature than corn and the young plants can better withstand slight frosts, henee it is safe to plant beets earlier than corn. It is wise to plant early that the young beets may secure a flrm hold on the soil, with a long tap root before the dry weather sets in. While, to secure a large yield per acre, the rows should be as close together as possible, it is necessary to have them eighteen or twenty inches apart to perniit Cultivation by horses. Make the rows straight to'allow the cultivator to run safely close to the rows. Sow the seeds with au ordinary garden drill, putting on fifteen pounds per acre to secure a good stand. Start the cultivator as soon as the rows are plainly visible and tliorouglny cultívate thereafter both to kill the weeds and to conserve the tnoisture. When the beets begin to show the fourth leaf they should be thinned to one plant in a place, from six to eight inches apart in the iow. Large beets are worthless for sugar making. The factory wants them to weigh from one and one-half to two and one-half pounds each, with a long1 straight undivided tap root. To secure beets of this discription there must be but one plant in a place, yet the space between adjacent plants must not be excessive. Experience in Nebraska bas shown that six to eight inches is the proper distance between plants in the rows. It is absolutely essential that the entire beetshould be below the surface of the ground as all of it exposed to the sun is useless for suar making. Most of the cultivation may be done by horse power or with the hoe, but the thinning must be done very largely by the human hand. The plants may be cut out with the hoe leaving bunches about six inches apart; the strongest plant of the bunch is left growing while the weaker ones are removed by hand. In Germany and Franoe this work is done largely by women and children who become adepts and can accomplish far more in a day tlien the uninitiated. The work is very monotonous and exhauating. Unless the field is unusually clean, the beets should be hoed at least twice thereafter in addition to the tborough cultivation between the rows, and the dirt should be hauled up over the exposed roots. HAB VESTING. When the leaves cover the ground and the erop has taken possession of the field, cultivation should stop and the plant be given time to fully develop saccharine matter. If cultivation is prolonged and the vegetable growth thereby too much stimulated, the sugar production will be diniinished. When the outside leaves begin to turn yellow, the beets are ripe and should be harvested. Rains thereafter will start a new growtli of leaves and lessen the richness in sugar. A plnw niav be rn n ilonjr the side of each row leaving the roots standing at the side of the furrovv. Tliis will greatly lessen the labor of puiling. In the preliminar}' experimenta the beets will undoubted be fed to live stock. For this purpose the tops should be twisted off by hand. When the beets go to a factory the part of the beet svhich grew above ground is removed wíth the top. The yield of sugar per acre dependa on the selection of the variety and strain of the beet seed, cultivation, and the amount of sunshine during the season. The yield per acre of beets will vaiy froin eigHt to ten tong, will amount to L32 to $60. The cost of growiug an acre of beets dependí on so many varying factors that it is difficult to strike an average. Uuder the conditions existing in this state it may be estimated at Í30 per acre. not counting the expense of naaiing to a factory. Farmers wlio undertake experimenta in growing sugar beeta need l'ear uo loss because no factory is iocated near them. ïhe beets will be worth as mach as they have cost for stock feeding.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier