Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27

iue iOuoWlhg letler lTOm aleN.
Johnston, of Maine, was addressed
to Prof. Gennert and by him embod-
led in his lecture before the New
York State Agricultural Society.
Mr.. Johnston is somewhat enthusias-
tic, but we believe his enthusiasm to
be in good direction, and if his
''great expectations are but one
half realized the farmers of the
country will have reason to be thank
full:
.'My plan work is much behind, but
within fortnight | will try to take off
my memoranda on the sugar beet cul.
ture. The experience of my neighbors
shows widely different results. All the
way from nothing TO IL. "a, 30 TO 80
tons to the acre. The last, by Mr.. Rich.
\. Bailey. | am getting the exact data
of and man to investigate very closely
and thoroughly. lie spares no labor
nor manure, has excellent soil and is
very prompt in sowing. wedding. thin.
ming and cultivating between the rows.
He feeds out his beets to his cattle,
hogs and even hens. He thinks he
can't sell at 81 ton might sell for $5,
delivered at railroad station, three miles
distant from his farm. He growls over
the transportation cost only, and con.
siders the crop worth more for his cat.
tie. They all do. II sold my own for
30 cents per bushel OF 60 pounds.
They say if all the sugar, IL per cent,
and all the water, so per cent, is ex.
tracted from the root, the per cent,
left can be of no great value, and so
they very much prefer the entire root,
without costly truckage, for their stock,
At the same TIME they shall admit that
there is more reliable cash value out of
the beets at 20 tons TO the acre than
from potatoes, corn, grain, hay, or any
other crop they can raise, and that il
good friable land is chosen, we'll work.
ed, fined and manured, promptly thin.
ned and kept positively clean of weeds,
the very day they can be detected, in
the setting sunlight, greening the
ground, there is no trouble or uncer.
tainty about good heavy crop every
tme, worth from 800 to Sl25 per acre.
So they think, and so / know, after
some years drill in raising beets. was
all alone in this town, in beet raising
for some years, beating everybody of
course. But | beat il into them and
now they begin to beat me-and am
heartily glad of it, and SO are the cattle.
Mr.. Bailey says that the water in the
beets. at reasonable temperature is
better than the cold water in the
brook or spring in winter, and the shiv.
ers that go with it, and that cattle don't
drink near as much when fed regularly
with roots as they do on dry hay and
other such fodder. The crops of corn,
hay, potatoes, and all the cereals are
subject to great loss through many con.
tingencies. Heavy winds, pouring
rains, blight, rust, mildew, rot, bug.
worm, and beetle. league together some.
times, and down goes the whole in
quantity, quality and value, faster than
one can breathe, far below the cost of
production. The humble beet, firmly
planted in the ground, laughs ut all the
wars of the elements, the bugs, beetles,
weevils. and the thousand unnamed
skipjacks, each requiring some sepa.
rate sort OF 'pothecary stuff to circum.
vent, and goes steadily on renewing its
broken foliage, and quietly gathering
up the sweets for future reliable useful.
meas. 1t cannot be long ere farmers
will realize these facts, and plant one
acre at least with crop, which ordina-
ry brains and prompt labor will always
conduct TO satisfactory issue. 1t Is a
crop which utilities thoroughly the
handy fingers and perfect eyes Of chill
dren, who can do great things in beet
bed for q small reward. This Is the
place for all, old or young, on the farm,
who can do no'hard work on most crops,
but can very ably take care of this. Ii
Is . crop that yields more absolute
money to the household than any other
i know of-per acre--no outlay but the
seed, perhaps two dollars. Two dollars
out in the spring, one hundred back in
the fall. Please show US the crop which
yields 50 large return for the land,
manure and labor on so small cash
outlay. There must be $4,000 farms in
the State OF Maine. Almost every one
can raise the sugar beet. Suppose 90.
600 Of them raise each one acre of beets
Say 20 tons. They would grow then
100000 tons. yielding e, 100000 to the
farmers. This crop would make at least
900 tons of sugar, or SO. .OO0. 900
bunds, worth &c, 100000. They can do
beyond ell possible DOUBT, and If
hey do not within the next FIVE years.
then are their owners blind beyond re-
demption. There Is no experiment
about it; the raising of the beets and
the making Of the sugar are well estab-
lished facts. hope 70 live long enough
70 SEQ an end to imported sugars in
Maine, and the hard earned money of
the Maine farmer stop ut home where IL
belongs.