Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-01-01
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r:e.a Eash. Ne. J.

r.s!a Eash. Ne. ,.
BY RURAL.
BEET ROOTS FoR SUGAR. Does it pay
TO grow them? At present prices
with incident risks and losses and
without suitable implements, their
culture is somewhat hazardous. Like
most any new undertaking. before il
begins 10 pay, there must be an or.
penSiUe experience. This is now the
chief obstacle in the way. SO far as
climate and soil are concerned
Maine is all right. Nature has done
her part well. So far as Art is
concerned farmers have 10 learn
how to master the difiicultie $
which stand in the way of success.
With these learned, sugar-beet grow
ing will become one o&he great in
dustries of Maine, and one OF the
chief staple farm productions.
OF the 100 Maine farmers who con-
tracted to grow beets for the sugar
factory, how many, think you, knew
anything Of the difficulties in the way /?
How many were skilled work men /:
How many knew anything Of the sem
sitive nature Of the beet plant, or how
many did as well as they knew? The
reported failures show that more than
half played blind mans buff" and
harvested failure. Those who be-
slowed suitable preparation OF the
soil, with appropriate care and cul-
ture. were rewarded with success.
The cardinal conditions of paying
crop are soil deeply worked, bounti-
fully MANFRED, and free from weeds.
No plant grown within the sugar belt
is so greedy for manure as the beet,
and no other plant so consumes IT,
A fixed law Of its growth is 10 be
kept from weeds, and just here is
where most fail. Without suitable
wedding implements the Flooding,
phlegmatic German may be content TO
hand weed but for the electro magnet
&c Yankee it is too much thumb and
fnrer work.
OF Bangor % ChTlSimas ~. in " a"s ,
commonly accepted '-s 'as'
IL, n Gays because Il 'eA'es 'ue
"ih.' |" Pa heart for the next years
Land ~ !. one OF the many instan-
efop- ..~h.t everybody says is
enc" No farmer can make
18th ends meet" who plants annual
crops, for biennial returns. Contrary
70 the usually expressed opinion, the
beet-plant does not take lis sugar
from the air, nor from the native
soil. but it draws il from the fertili-
zers used. II, therefore, is q grea,
exhauster Of manure.
Another great obstacle is the bulk 4
(aoout IS bushels 10 the gross tom
and cost OF carriage. When trans
ported in the raw state, ~ pounds Of
beet (pulp and water must be hand
led TO get one pound of sugar. To !
overcome the handling and hauling Of
SO much watery waste, various pro-
cesses have been tried TO reduce the |
weight. In Maine, the diffusion pro-
cess" has not proved satisfactory. In
California new, cheap, and simple
process has been adopted, which
proves well. 1t is drying bets BY So
lar heat. The beets while in the field
are cleaned, sliced, spread and sun
dried. Two drying days will reduce
the weight 60 per cent. as matter of
fact reducing the weight Of q gross
ton (22to pouuds) to 500 pounds, of
which, some 240 pounds will be raw
sugar.
Will it succeed? Notwithstanding
the discouragements and mishaps
which surround the introduction of
sugar beet culture In Maine, in the
coming "swest by and by" sugar rails
ing will revolutionize the present sys-
TEN of farming. The present effort
may Ego under" only to rise again,
like Phenix, and be crowned with sue
cess.
WARN BARNS. The severity of win.
ter is upon US, the cattle have come 70
their long winter housing. For some
200 days they must be sheltered and
fed in the barn. The farmer who
would husband his resources must
make saving of flesh and savise q
fodder his watchword. sA0R5ln lnkss
warm7 Cattl9 $780, .:ll6fsd
more hay, - n a
w.rlS FINK enone Of the
- - ls0eyie, break scinds
fB4or covering but sin.
ding, interlaced with as many
= Scks Is boards? Such barns NAV
break of the wind, but do not stop
out the cold. The aggregate volume
of air which finds ingress through the
cracks is equal to that admitted by
throwing the "big doors" open. Who
would think of leaving the big barn
doors open. when the mercury is fool
ing round ''below zero!
Aside from the inhumanity Of i'm
prisoning cattle, sanctioned by the
bead, in freezing barn, it 10 . great
waste Of hesh and fodder. Food foI
~. hnaaf 18th ifa IL olouop ~