The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-28
BEETs AND BotxTIEs.

1t is gratifying to note the progress
and prospects of the beet-growing in
dustry in this territory. and particular
ly in Utah county, where the near
proximity of farming lands to the sugar
works makes the cultivation of the root
so profitable. The Lehi Banner is ex-
ultant over the benefits to the agri-
cultural interests in that section of
country, wrought in three years
through the introduction of this indus
try. 1t says:
Land from which they did not realize
enough to pay them for the small
amount of work put upon them, last
year brought them the most pleasing
returns Lands that would not have
sold for more than $50 per acre have in
this short space of time been brought
to such a high state of cultivation
that last year the beet crops raised
upon them brought a clear profit to
the owners over all expenses of $50 per
acre; more than three times the amount
WHICH crop Of wheat would have
brought from such lands, putting it at
the highest number of bushels would
not have produced more than % per
bushels per acre at Go cents per bushel
or $16.25 for the acre. The expenses of
raising that acre of wheat would be at
least one-half of what it brought, or
IS, leaving $S.25 as against $50. This
pleasing result has had the wonderful
effect of filling nearly every farmer
with a desire to raise the sugar beets.
We rejoice with the Banner over this
accession of profits to the thrifty farm
er. And we are pleased to see that
with the advantages which experience
brings, the industry becomes increas,
ingly remunerative. We hope the tiller
of the soil will continue to reap his
share of the results in the production
of sugar.
But in looking over the advantages
which come from the cultivation of the
sacharrine root. we could not help think
ing of the Republican effort, for par
tisan ends, in the recent legislature of
very i'll fame, to add to these large and
well-earned profits bounty out of the
territorial treasury,
If the growing of beets is so very
much more profitable than the growing
of wheat, which we do not dispute,
why should the poorly paid wheat
raiser be required to contribute by his
taxes to swell the gains of the more
fortunate beet-raiser? There is no Won
der that the pleasing result" of this
remunerative industry has been TO fill
nearly every farmer with the desire
to raise sugar beets."
1t will be seen that there is incentive
enough, in the natural impetus which
large returns give to labor, not only to
encourage the beet-grower to continue
his efforts and improve on his methods,
but to induce other farmers to go into
the same business because it is so much
more lucrative than his ordinary oc-
cupation. What better argument could
be afforded than this to establish the
Democratic position on the subject?
Why should the thousands of farmers
who are struggling to make any profit
at all out of their wheat-growing- and
all farmers cannot go into beet-ratsing
nor is that advisable-be compelled to
contribute to the still greater prosper
ity or their fellow agriculturists, who
already reap six times as much as they
from the thing of the soil? That is
one of the peculiarities of Republican
protection and bounty giving.
There is another point to this. While
those wonderful statesmen proposed to
take money out of the treasury to en-
courage an agricultural industry so
profitable that nearly every farmer
wants to engage in it, they denied nee
essary aid to the cause of education
and proposed to cripple the schools by
cutting down their resources. To them
beets were better than brains and schol-
arship inferior to canaigre in public i'm
portance. Their love for roots was re,
markable. providing they were not cube
roots, or square roots, or the roots of
philology. AS to the root of all evil''
we will not insinuate.
We hope the cultivation of the sugar
beet win go on and improve, and that
our farmers will succeed in producing
roots containing as high a percentage
of sacharrine matter as those raised in
California. And we think the profits
which it is demonstrated have accrued
from their past exertions, will be a
stimulus to further excellence and
greater returns, without pecuniary aid
taken from the pockets of poorly paid
toilers, minus their consent, under the
Republican form of public robbery
called bounty.