Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-12-11
THE SOUTH RIVER FARMERS
LOOK INTO THE SUGAR-BEET
PROPOSITION.

MEETING AT FIsHERsvILLEsA SATURDAY "A
TALK FROM MR.. o. K. LAPHAM-PRAC
TICAL QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWER
ED-A GOOD IMPRESSION AMONG TIKI
FARMERS.
&C, &C., &C.
Reported for the Staunton VINDICAToR.l
FIsHERSvILLE, Dec. 5.-At a meeting
to-day of the farmers of this community
called to consider the question OF beet
raising, number were present. but owing
to the limited notice, not near as many al
should have been.
Mr.. o. K. Lapham of Staunton, was
present, and stated that lie came on invi
tation of Capt. G. B. Conner, not to maxi
ers of this community on the question O
raising beets for sugar, and he supposed
the farmers wished to know if beet raising
would pay as well as raising corn ant
wheat. He had tested the matter enough
to know it would pay him to buy beets il
they contained anywhere near the average
per cent. of sugar as those already grown
by him and others. The beets l have grown
are as good OF better than those grown in
Europe, though not as good as those grown
in the West, but I will pay as much OF
more than the factories are paying for them
in the West. The cultivation of beets will
improve the soil and put it in fine condi-
ton for other crops to follow.
MI. Samuel Steele.-How much pei acre
is considered good crop of beets?
Mr.. Lapham.-That depends upon va
riety of conditions-kind of land, amount
of fertilizer used, cultivation, &c. In
Nebraska the averages are from to 80
tons per acre. produced this year over Is
tons per acre, and l consider the beets
worth three times as much for feeding pur-
poses as the corn grown On the same guam
tity of land.
Mr.. Booker.-Did you grow the beets in
this county?
Mr.. L.-Yes; on my farm few miles
West of Staunton. The best beets l have
seen this year were grown by MI. w. II.
Norman of Fort Defiance. They showed
larger per cent. Of sugar III per cent
than any [ have had analysed. [ am salts
fled that 20 tons per acre can be produced
here by proper cultivation.
Mr.. Steele.-Do you drill them ?
Mr.. L.-Y es, in rows IS to 20 inches apart,
break up the ground deep and thoroughly
cultivate, and keep the soil up to the beets,
and thin out to to Slnches apart in therow.
The beets should weigh from l to 8 lbs
each. If the ground is mellow, the beets
will grow down. / have letters from Wis
consin and Kansas which show that they
are experimenting at over 100 points, and
Wisconsin is well adapted to beet culture,
but with their long and rigorous winters, the
time for manufacturing is too limited.
With our long summers and comparatively
short and mild winters we are better loca-
ted for beet raising here than many parts
of the West. AS to the practical raising
of beets, will say that they contain more
nutrition than any other root crop grown,
and are exceedingly fine food for cattle. Last
year l had some beets. and / made up my
mind [ would feed some cattle. 1 bought
ny d lCN Olu UulIl CoNp cllu DO1IlC OCluU Cttu-
tie, and after feeding them from IS to 70
days had good beef ready for the market,
and l know more than doubled my money.
Immediately after. l bought other cattle
and had fine success in getting them fat.
MI. Black.-Did you chop up the beets
in feeding to cattle?
Mr.. L.--Yes. This year | cut off the
tops and put them away with plenty of salt.
In Europe they value them at 81 per ton.
The tops will weigh from 50 to 60 per cent.
Of the crop. and 1 think are worth 50 per
ton for feeding purposes. The party who
furnishes the beets is entitled to the pulp,
which is worth more than the tops. In all
foreign countries the owner of the factory
grows half Of the beets he manufactures.
1t is of the utmost Importance that the
beets should average II per cent. of sugar,
if less than that, it would hardly pay to eX-
tract them. The seed is another most i'm
portant item. They are procured from
beets that have been bred up for at least
to years, and by this system they get the
highest per cent. of sugar. The beet
is constantly displacing the cane for sugar
making, and this year large per cent. of
all the sugar produced is from beets.
Mr.. Black.-How about the amount of
work they require?
Mr.. LIVE first break up the ground
thoroughly and deep, using sub-soil pillow
after the turning pillow, thoroughly harrow,
roll, and pulverize the coil plant in rows
1Sto20 inches apart, and when the plant has
four leaves, thin out to 5 to s inches apart
in the row. Continue the cultivation as you
would corn, keeping the soil loose and mel
low, and the weeds down.
DR.. Hildebrand.-Sometim several
seed stick together and it would appear
that several plants came from the same
seed, and being SO close the thinning would
be the most difficult part think.
Mr.. sL.-Yes. Perhaps the thinning il
the most difficult part, as well as one Of the
most important parts. AS to harvesting
run plow on one side of the row, l the1
pull and bury them in trench to protect
from freezing. In topping, you can get
machine that will top several beets at {
time. l stored the tops separately.
Mr.. Black.-I think the thinning would
be the most tedious part Of the business
DR.. Hildebrand. Have you ever had ex
perience in bottom lands for beets?
Mr.. L.-No. think the uplands would
probably be better, as, if the beets are il
low, wet land they would be very water!
and contain but little sugar. You can cul
tivate the bottom land easier, but I thinl
good uplands equally as good for beets. Thu
fertilizer is usually applied in the fall.
Mr.. Black.-W Would heavy sod be gooI
for beets?
Mr.. Ii think not as good as a Glove