The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-02-14
FACTS FOR THE FARMER.
ABOUT cULTivATiNo THE
SUGAR BEET.
'is;ssrestiax Letter from an Expert In the isdss-
~ N caIiforaia-Don't Water Too
nasy Fowls Boiling Grain Tor
Stoek--Old Horses. -


AN1Ql IN NAiiiOrulds nc says - still IN
Is infancy and the methods employed
nrp very crude. yet II will compare
'avorably with any other part OF the
country, but IL Is for information more
than anything else that has prompted
me 70 write this article. Ia the first
place. will describe the Moro Colo
Ranch and It's methods. This is the
largest beet farm In the world. con-
taining l. 500 acres and owned by Claus
sprecklcs. the sugar king. 1t is situ-
ated en- Monterey Bay. at the mouth OF
abe Salinas river. ten miles from Wat
sonville, whore Mr. Spreckles has a
large sugar factory. The farm Is OF
such magnitude as TO cause Mr..
Spreckles TO build railroad from
Watsonville to the ranch. where il is
carried to any part OF the field by port
able tracks. Ia addition to this 1t is
the only ranch OF any size that employs
white labor exclusively. The facts
here given were furnished me by w.
v. Galley. the originator and main
stay OF tho place.
First we will refer to the preparing
OF the soil. he says: my opinion
about blowing Is, that the ground
should DO plowed deep. at least ten
inches, early In the fall, after the first
rain, so that the soil will be well ex-
posed TO the atmosphere. and be thor
oughly warmed by the time IL is ready
for planting, using five horse sulky
pillow. Let IL then be we'll narrowed
and cultivated, and II the weather has
NOT been 100 wet this blowing will
suffice.
Then in the spring as soon rs the
weather will allow, VIC plant using a
planter sowing in rows fifteen inches
apart and about two inches deep. using
from two and one-half TO six pounds
per acre according 10 tho size of the
seed II the soil pulverizes well there
is no need 10 soak the seed II not you
must soak II we'll for forty eight hours.
This seed classified into Nos. ] and 2
before placing in tho soak. Tie
planter itself is AN original idea OF
Mr. w. G. Waters, superintendent OF
the Western Beet Sugar Co There
are no patents on it, being for the
benefit Of the beet grower. and is the
most complete in existence.
'.As soon as the boots have put forth
four or six leaves the thinning
process commences. This is all done
by hand, the men going through pull
ing all the surplus bcets. leaving a
good plaut every six or eight inches.
This viii cost from 60 TO $40 per acre.
according to the stand.
Then comes the cultivating. This
Is also done by hand, using the hoe.
ss there Is no machine that will
cultivate fifteen inches The men are
kept going backward and forward as
long as there is u weed Ia sight.
In California bcets ripen Ia from
four 10 five months.
Now we como TO the harvest. First
we use pillow that looscns the beet
This year we had twelve plows going,
paying the men that handled thcm 81
per day behind the plows. We had
twenty-five men at $i.i0 per day TO
pull the beots and spade up those tho
plows failed TO loosen. They placed
them In piles for the toppers, who
were furnished with knives to remove
the green tops and parts OF bccts that
had been exposed above ground.
OF these we had fifty. and they re-
ceived u cents per box. which aver
aged from Ill 10 10 lbs, according TO
the soil. These boxes arc removed by
trucks operated by two men, a driver
who received si.l0. and IA helper who
received 81. the driver giving the
topper a check for every box he re-
moved. Ho then conveyed tho boxes
20 portable track; run TO any part OF
the field, where they were dumped in
70 cars, he receiving check for every
box he hauled. keeping perfect tally.
The cars were then drawn 10 tho main
line OF tho J.. " narrow-guage rail
read, where tho engine picked them
up and carried them TO tho sugar
factory mt Watsonville Hero a
sample OF from four TO fivc beets are
taken together with tho number OF
the car and sent 10 the laboratory
whore tho chemist polarizcs them.
The factory allowing ~ per ton for IA
per cent and 80 cents pcr ton for
every additional per cent.
1T would take too much Of your val :
uable space 70 describe the process
they undergo in being reduced to
sugar. SO | will wind up by giving you
sn idea OF the yicid OF Moro COLO
Ranch. We will take sixty aero