The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-12-21
DIVERSIFIED FARMING.
The Profit 10 Bset-SusiF Culture In Our
Soil and Climate.
RESULT OF CAREFUL EXPERIMENT.
The Nes Prssis Per Acre Rivals That
81 Frsis ana Hsps-Eassiy, Casss.
waited ana = stable msrkes for the
Preaues-A Rsaarka bic shswing.

Notwithstanding the prosperous condi
ton Of the great area Of farms throughou
the country, as will be conclusivel!
shown In subioined paragraphs, ever
person engaged in agriculture who hal
investigated the matter with REASONABLE,
degree Of care will concede that tn,
farmers only permanent safety lies In
diversified farming. He may make thou.
sands OF dollars on his harvest of fruit
next year; but, II that be his only crop
he may, for one reason or another, lose
his time and labor on the cultivation oil
that crop during the next two or three
years. That unfortunate condition, while
possible, lie not probable In this remarks-
BILE section Of the country; but, should
unforeseen Influences produce Il, its vic
tim Is well-nigh bankrupted. The same
may be said Of the farmer who cnltivates
hops exclusively. Indeed, the chance for
disastrous failure 10 even greater 10 this
crop. The same hypothesis may be made
If any profitable crop in the entire cata-
logue. The only safeguard against abso-
Lutte failure. therefore. is -diversifed farm
ing. Of which theory The HERALD is an
earnest advocate. The successful local
farmer is he who raises fair q reage OF
hops, cultivates good orchard and vine
yard. in which he may raise great
variety Of such fruits as are in demand in
the markets, an abundance Of hay, q
plentitude Of vegetables. few pigs and q
good many chickens, turkeys and other
fowl. a COW or two or more and such
other farm products in such quantities ss
the demand may warrant.
We have had much to say at various
times OF hops and fruits. occasionally a
word Of broomcorn and maize, but We
desire now to spesk particularly Of sugar.
beet culture. The farmers of Eastern
Washington cannot longer afford to ignore
this crop, which is rapidly becoming q
staple product Of the coast. By actual
experiment and analysis it is found one Of
the safest. surest and most profitable Of
farm products. The market for 1t is more
stable, the prices less fluctuating and the
profit more easily obtained.
Judge J. NJ. Stout, whose profound in
terest in the products of this magnificent
valley was established years ago, has
kindly furnished The HERALD with data
as result of his experiment with sugar
beets and they will prove Of special inter
est to the farmers of this cou ntry. The
variety he planted was Kleinwanzlebener
date Of planting, April rs; date Of first
harvest, October 2; character OF soil, grey.
sandy loan, with some alksli; character
Of cultivation, weeded carefully by hand
three times; small irrigating bitches two
rows apart, bitches opened three times
with small shovel plow; length of row
harvested. 70 feet width between rows,
Ii inches; number OF beets harvested, 98 !;
total weight Of beets harvested, los
pounds and IA ounces; weather, light
rains In May, dry in June and July. but
soil kept in good condition by irrigation;
not enough rain in August and September
to wet the soil. The result of this work,
very carefully performed, was submitted
to H. W. Wiley, government chemist AT
Washington, D. c., who returned the fol-
lowing analysis:
Sugar in juice, 1873 per cent; coefficient
Of purity-which is the ratio Of sugar to
other solids in the juice Of the beet-90.2.
From this experiment and analysis II
will be seen that the number Of beets
produced on an acre Of ground is, approx
imstely, 42,6SS; pounds Of beets per acre,
46,l73; pounds OF sugar per acre, 7,449.
Estimate this product at the usual whole
sale market price for sugar thus produced
and you find your gross earning per acre
nearly 800. Deduct the cost OF cultivat-
log an acre Of sugar beets, $50 being
liberal estimate for which, aud you have q
net profit Of more than $3.50 per acre.
Will IL pay to raise sugar beets?
But Judge Stout found that, by leaving
the beets in the ground, on The second
experiment, till October Is. or nearly two
weeks longer than on the first experiment,
the per cent If sugar in the juice was in
creased very materially, showing that the
longer the vegetable is left in the soil,
without danger to the product, the better
the result
This is no idle fancy, but the result Of
an experiment performed faithfully on
the basis prescribed in the government
chemists instructions. The figures are
authentic and are gwen by the highest
official authority in this country. They
show conclusiyely that the farmers OF
this section Of the state may wisely and
very protitably direct generous share Of
their attention to the cultivation OF the
sugar-b beet.
With four acres If fruits, on which he
may realize net profit Of $3.50 per acre,
ten acres Of hops. on which, figured on a
basis Of ten years experience in the
market, he may obtain net profit Of $50
per acre, four acres of sugar beets, en-
which, conseryatively estimated, he may
realize net gain OF $500 per acre, making
a total OF $500 net profit on 20-acre
farm and leaving two acres for house and
barn, with appropriate environments.
what excuse has farmer in this God
favored region for iailure-saying nothing
Of his butter and eggs and pork and few
quarters OF beef and mutton?
With this encouragement to cultivate
the sugar-beet in our soil and climate. it
would not be at all difficult to secure the
establishment Of beet-sugar plant n
this city, thus adding another industry to
our already generous list and providing
II