The herald., 1894-12-26
BIG MONEY IN SUGAR BEETS.
Examples Of Profitable Farm
ing at Chino.
What Several Industrious Farmers
Did Last Season.
Instances Taken From Actual Experience
in the Industry-Facts and
Figures.

Mr. c. G. Howell, in a letter TO the sacramen.
to Bee, of recent date, tells that paper, in a
plain, unvarnished way, the actual state of
beet farming at Chino. The gentleman gives
names and figures, so that his statements con
be verified. As there is good deal OF inquiry
as to the profits of beet culture Mr.. HowelPs
letter is given ia full below for the benefit of
those desiring information on this subject:
To THE EDITOR OF THE BEE-sir: Perhaps 1
should give the ex peri ence OF u few of the best
Dee-Sfowers on the Chino ranch, and then my
ngures Will be- considered more conservative.
H. M Day, living Il mi and hail. west of
Chlno reports that he planted 254 acres TO
peets, from which he harvested 400 tons, for
Shn whicn ne received $l4o0 On his home place
Z e had "a acres, the beets from which brought
300, or 50 80 per acre On another 10 acres
ne ne harvested 2O4 tous, which brought him
the 10 acres $91s, or S9! 80 per acre The
Sl4OO he receiged ior his entire crop is all clear
gam, except T40 he paid out for wages and $40
Tor seed aud us9 CT cultlyator.
Himself and two boys, one IL and the other
10 years of age, did enouge work on their own
crop and in exchange with their neighbors to
G eur al expenses on their own crop, except the
$l 10 noted In other words, Mr.. Day summer
worK on his beet crop has brought him Just
Sl291 in clear cash. Besides TINS, ne mas taken
care OF, cut and harvested 10 acres OF alfalfa of
his own, raiset ii acres o. barley, and dii $50
worth of work cutting alfalfa and barley for
other people This VIII so long way toward
paying all his lIvlng expenses for the year, aud
his beet crop can be counted clear gain. Mr..
Day says he lived IN ebraska for rs years, and
i'll all his farming experience he has never
done rs well as he has here, or found he prod
uct that paid as well as sugsr-beets. He is nat
uraily enthusiastic in his praise OF the crop.
George {. Moore rented 36 acres, which ne
planted to beeis. He did the team work and
large part of the labor upon the crop himself,
hiring no more than ne could avoid. He is an
enc ge3c painStaking and careful man, and
his care has been well rewarded. In making
statement OF his expenses on the crop he in
@ied his own labor and that of his teams.
IL
much less than tho figures given. His account
on the 3G acres SANDS: Six hundred and forty
penses, blowing, $72 preparing ground, $27:
seed, $64; pla nting, $12; thinning, $1O5; cul-
tivating. $ $40; hoeing, $7e; pulling and top
ping, 1874 SO: hauling, 5000 SO. factory ex-
penses, SEAS. Total expenses. S11O4.7 rs;
rent, 20 per cent, 1864 Sc; grand total,
$l7s931; net profit, $96S.94.
Me- profit per acre after paying rent $26 80;
net profit on land, $29.0l.
To Mr. Moore's net profit of $96S34 on his
venture should be added regular wages for his
own summer's WORKSHOP This shows him
nearly $l56S.94 ahead on mis- summers work,
with no more capital than team and imple-
ments invested.
Peter Warner harvested from Is acres $50
tons OF bests, or 20 tons per acre. For these
he realized $3.50 per ton, or S1404 for his
crop-S7S per acre. less than three years ago
Mr. Warner came to Chino with no capital
whatever but his energy, his perseverance and
his pluck. He has recently purchased $3, 600
worth of land for a home, and he is paying for
it with money realiz ed from beet farming. He
says he is satisfied that there is no other line of
farming In California In which he can do as
well as growing sugar beets.
N. s. Rice plarted IL acres, from which he
harvested pol tons net, or about 12Z tons per
acre. At $5.O6 per ton these brought hi m
&816.52, or $5I. .O4 per acre gross. The money
he actually paid out in raising and harvesting
the crop was as follows: Seed, $57; thinning,
SOD, plowing and planting, $50: topping. $1O1;
total, $242. All the rest of the work was done
by himself and no account was kept Of It. This
iHves his net profits on the IL acres, s574 81,
tons and 700 pounds, or an average OF Is tons
per acre. They analyzed between ID and IA
per cent sugar, making an average price Of say
81. 10 per ton. This would give Mr.. Rightmier
in the neighborhood of $61.50 per acre from
this field. Another field OF eight acres gave
better returns. The eight acres yielded l72
tons of beets, averaging 14L per cent sugar.
This makes him 81 4 tons per acre at 81. so per
ton, or a return of $96. 75 an acre for the field.
A. L. Cavanaugh harvested 10 acres from
which he got % tons per acre, or 22O tons of
10 per cent beets. Sixteen per cent beets bring
So. 0 per ION, so Mr.. Cavanaugh gets 81 122, or
SIl2, 20 per acre from that 10 acre field.
w. A. Lyell harvested a acres of beets south
and west of his house These Ia acres yielded
230 tons, or 1615 tons per acre Of IA per cent
beets. This gives Mr.. Lyell $9S7, or $40. 95 per
acre. In one corner of this field Is sand
streak, which reduces the average yield very
materially. On three and two-thirds acres of
it there were harvested 90 tons. or 24A tons
per acre.
l might fill your paper with such results, but
the few that have given you show what an
industrious man can do by raising beets.
c. G. HOWELL.