The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-14
FIGURES ON BEET-GRowINe.

As the beet-growing industry is making
strides in this State. figures on the outlay it
involves and the profits it yields in other
countries are of interest, and the recent
account of beet-growing in Germany
which is the largest producer of beet sugar
in the world-publshed in late number OK
the consular reports deserves wider clr-
culation than it will obtain in the Govern
ment publication. The Consul who sup
piled if did not take the trouble to translate
the German measures and coins into Eng
fish. so that TO the ordinary reader his CAL
culations are uninteiligible.
According to him. it costs S26 30 to Guilt
yate an acre in beets and the rent of the
land is about 81 per acre per year. The bulk
Of this outlay is for labor. ana that. in Ger
many, is much less than in this State. Men
are paid from 45 cents to So cents per day.
according 10 their ability. women from 80
10 GO cents. e-artifieial-costs about
| SIS 70 per acre. Owing to the gradual I'M
proyement in agricultural methods. and the
more liberal use Of artificial manures, the
! yield IF heets has increased about . per
cent since 1887, and now the acre Is expected
| to WELD about thirteen tons of beets. Dur
! ing the campaign of 1S90-91 these beetS sofa
| at an average Of 81 90 per ton. Thus, the
! S33 80 a crop which was worth SIS so or
net profit of $50 20 per acre. This is doing
| remarkably well. though it would have been
interesting to know how much of the grow
er's profit arose from the bounties which
| Germany has been paying for beet-growing
| From sources independent OF the consular
report it is learned that the yield of thirteen
! tons to the acre is exceptionally high. and
! that ten tons or even eight tons would repre-
sent the yield of most OF the German beet
| growers.
In two poets the beet-grower of Cali
| fornia pursueS different method from the
beet-grower in Germany. The latter has
learned by experience that he cannot expect
crop without very thorough cultivation.
Thus. after deep blowing with oxen. he har-
| rows his land five or six times, cultivates II
two or three times, aud hoes il carefully aft
| erward. a Californian seldom bestows
| such labor on his field. The German
msEures before sowing and again when the
| plants have started; the Californian relies
| on the natural fertility OF the soil The
| German sows from twenty-seven to thirty
| six pounds of seed to the acre; the CalifOr-
| MAN thinks that fifteen to eighteen pounds
| suffice. The reasons given for the larger
quantity Of seed used in Germany are pecu-
| liarly German. The Teuton says that he
| must supply certain proportion Of plants
10 be eaten by insects and destroyed by
| frost.
The objective point in beet-grOwing is to
produce beets which contain q large pro.
portion of sugar. The beets now chiefly
grown in Germany contain from 1892 pei
cent of sugar TO 1862 per cent, which is be.
lieved to be a higher percentage than the
California beets generally yield. For sew
eral years the German beet has been grow
ing richer in sugar through the adoption o
scientific agricultural processes. Ten year
ago the average percentage of sugar in thu
German beet was only u 4 to 13.9 There
as here. beets sell according TO the proper
ton Of saccharine which they contain.
Beet-growing is certain TO become one o
the most important of the agricultural in
dustries in this State. Less profitable thar
fruit-growng, it is more lucrative thar
wheat-rasing. and in the course Of time
where the soil will permit. the beet vii
probably take the place of the wheat plant
Tie bounty granted by the last Congress
has operated 20 deter ranchers from EN-
barking in beet-grONing on a large scale, a
they felt that the bounty might presently b.
withdra wn. Some time will eapse befor,
California is able to supply the United
States with all the sugar 1t consumes. &C
cording to the prediction OF the Department
OF Agriculture. but every year the produe
will increase. An industry whose profit
are so clear and whose risk is so small i
bound to be prosecuted with Vigor.