Sugar beet growing

Abstract

<p>The interest that attaches to beet growing in Iowa induced this station to conduct an experiment embracing conditions common to this industry by the farmer. Seed of German (Klein Wanzlebener) and French (Dippes Vilmorin) varieties were obtained from the Department of Agriculture; also a French variety called Desprez from Oxnard Bros., Grand Island, Nebraska. The ground selected was a piece of fall plowing adjoining timber. Some of it had been recently cleared. The piece comprised the following varieties of soil: Upland, sandy loam, low rich loam, medium sandy loam, timber clay loam, and stiff timber clay, all comparatively new. In order to ascertain the best time to plant sugar beets we begun April 15 and planted once each week, until May 25. We also desired to ascertain what benefit, if any, would be derived from fertilizing. Lime was used. A commercial fertilizer containing ammonia, phosphoric acid, and potash, valued especially for sugar cane in the South, was used; also ammoniated super-phosphate.</p>