Arizona republican., 1891-05-06
THE SUGAR BEET.
Some Suggestions as to the Proper
 Selection of Soil.

Seiection or SOil.
 This coast has vast tracts of the finest soil and the best climate in the world for the culture of the sugar beet. 1.-the production of sugar from this root can be made profitable anywhere it certainly can be here. Our peculiar climate gives us advantages that few other countries possess. In the first place we can culti' vate the beet with very much less labor than in climates where they have sum- mer rains. Then we have long rain less and frostless season in which tC work them up. We can take them from the ground at our leisure and are there fore not at the expense of storing them from frost and the extra handling of the heavy crop several times.
 It has been conclusively proven by the actual growth of the beet and the man. ufacture of sugar that this coast has millions of acres of land that, without the use of any expensive fertilizers, will produce immense crops of sugar beet, as rich or richer in sugar as can be grown anywhere. It is on record that the growing of the sugar beet is aproft- able sure and regular crop, and ex- tracing the sugar equally profitable to the capitalist who puts his money into the manufactory. The industry creates business for transportation lines and for crude sugar reineries.
 Sugar was first discovered in the beet by Margrof in 17i7. He found at that time only 6 per cent. of sugar. In 1199 Achard established the first beet sugar factory. He soon found that beets from which less than 10 to 12 per cent. could be extracted would not pay to work by the processes then in use. This resulted ill great care in selecting and growing species of beets containing b per cent. of sugar which was gradually accom- plished. Now it is not rare to find beets containing 20 per cent. of their gross weight in Obtainable sugar. Beets have been grown on the Pacific coast which contained "A per cent.
 That the manufacture of sugar from beets has paid and actually changed com pletely the sugar industry of the world is matter of recent history. Forty years ago the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the earth produced the sugar of commerce from canes-a grass. Now ! Europe leads in the production of the worlds sugar supply from the sugar beet-a root.
 The sugar beet plant has been im- proved by selection in the past twenty five years in all essential lines. First, in its physical characteristics, shape, smoothness, etc. Second in its amount of available sugar. Third in its size and yield per acre. And even yet improve. ment seems to advance. If cultivation has given thls root four times the avail able amount of sugar in century in one climate, how much further may it be improved in better adapted climates'
 The soil is the only particular point in l the culture of sugar beets. If that is not suitable there can be no success. If | the industry fails on this coast selection of the wrong soils will be the cause. This beet will not thrive on soil that is | found to be the very best for crop of l Indian corn. Stock beets and such other crops as need a soil very rich in humus and nitrates, or in other words rich, deep, heavy, black soil, will not do to grow the sugar beet on. A deep, sandy loam that was adapted for wheat or corn at first, and on which these have been grown alternately for years until it will produce only one-half the crop it origi nally did, without any fertiliZing except fine tilth, has proven by experience to be about the right soil for big yield of sugar from this beet. This same soi in its original state would have produced an enormous crop of sugar beeti containing small percentage of sugar and large percentage of nitrates. Wher we come to manufacture sugar iron such beets we find that each grain of tho nitrates destroys six grains of sugar ant the whole thing is failure. This was the result from we'll equipped plan for the manufacture of sugar from beet. grown on the very best clayey upland virgin corn soil Ill Illinois, where for tune was lost by selecting the wrong soil. It looks somewhat as if tn, wrong soils are being selected ol this coast. Deep, rich, black, virgin valley soils are proven by all former ex perience to be unsuited for obtaining the best results in sugar from the beet If it is desired to grow an immense ton mage to the acre for stock feed, thei such soils are excellent.
 The soil for sugar should be deep moderately rich (for corn) sandy, limey loam with good under drainage. A stiff heavy clay or adobe soil is unft--wors than useless for the sugar beet. On sucl soil the beet will grow almost entirel, above ground, and it must grow unde the surface to be rich in obtainabl sugar free from nitrates. A warm, deep light, clayey, gravelly upland soil witt some sand is fine. But the light, deep sandy, upland soil of the interior valleys especially the worn out wheat fields ar the soils for the sugar beet.
 D. B. WEIR n,o