The San Francisco call., 1896-04-12

The lanQ stands the owner, When he puts
up his house and barn, at $130 per acre.
Interest on 81 80 at per cent. 81 so
Taxes. bo- 4o
Profit Total to the ia1d-ovn:f:::::: s3sS sS
Or per cent on his Investment Of ........ Sl30 90
The experience of beet-growers on the
Chino ranch has been submitted on more
than one occasion as proof Of what farmers
have done in raising beets.
+. NJ. Day, living mile and half from
Chino, planted 2534 acres, from which he
harvested 400 tons, which realized $1400.
He paid $40 for wages and $50 for seed and
use of cultivator.
n. S. Rice harvested 201 tons net from
sixteen acres. At So 06 ton he received
$S16 50, or $51 04 per acre. He paid out for
$54; plowing and planting $50; topping
SOL, total $242. All the rest OF the work
was done by himself, so his net profits on
sixteen acres were 1914 52.
a. L. Cavanaugh harvested ten acres,
from which he got % tons, or 900 tons of
l6 per cent beets. Sixteen per cent beets
brought $5 10 ton, making the receipts
$1122, or $112 20 an acre.
These are taken at random from an
array OF instances wherein farmers have
found beet-growing decidedly remunera-
tive.
AS an instance Of what a 334-ton plant
means for a neig borkood, the Sacramento
Industrial Improvement Association gives
the following concise statement:
Totals-Seventy-seven men during factory
campaign, S21 ,01S; 43 men employed by the
year, $45, 500. Total paid in wages at factory,
SGT, ,67S.
To produce 40 .OsO tons of beets, sufficient for
120 days campaign, assuming that the farmer
produces II tons to the acre, which only runs
ID per cent saccharine matter, they will have
cost to raise 50 OF per ton. Actual cost OF la
Dor, 81 so per ton; seed, So 16 per acre, 10
cents per ton; rent of land, SO per acre, S315
cents per ton; delivery to factory, 80 cents per
ton; interest on farming tools, etc, 81 cents
4O,OS0 multiplied by 80 OF equals $s2,96 60;
total labor account, about $780, .000 To this
you can add 10000 tons lone coal at 81 75,
$35 900; 2s8 tons coke from your gas COM
pany at So, $2304; 2400 tons lime rock from
Folsom at 81, S4SO0; total, $42, 1O4.
A sum OF 5000, 900 is not far from what fac
tory would pay out to labor for capacity treat
ing 334 tons OF beets each day for 12O days.
Perhaps it would be we'll to consider how
much profit there would be to the producers of
these beets. Forty thousand and eighty tons
at So SO per ton for II per cent beets, and 40
cents for each 1 per cent thereafter would be
81 so ton or clear profit to the raiser of
his land. On the years crop there would be
$S9 1893 40 in profit to the farmers.
On au average l find that one man attends
ten acres of beets. and the average for each ten
acres is three persons, making about 1000 in
habitants sustained directly by 334-ton fac
tory.
With this information in his possession,
the farmer who wishes to i'm prove his con-
dition may go ahead without fear of fail
ure after he has examined seriously the
instructions for planting and raising sugar
beets. The very clear and direct advice
issued by the sugar com panies as follows
contain all the data necessary for the sue
cessful cultivation of the beet:
Plant space sixty-six feet etsquare-one-tenth
of an acre.
Keep all stock off the land after the rain be.
gins.
Plow deep, break up thoroughly, pulverize
the soil before planting.
Sow when the soil is warm, after the rains
say in April or May.
One pound of seed will seed one-tenth of an
acre.
Sow in rows eighteen to tWenty-one inches
apart
Sow with a drill. forced feed; SOW shallow,
just deep enough to be covered.
Seed should come up in seven to twenty-one
days.
Thin the beets as soon as they develop four
leaves.
Thin out from six to ten inches according to
richness of soil
Leave only one beet in one place, and that
the most vigorous one.
Keep weeds out entirely.
Do not allow crust to form on the top of the
land after seeding or while beets are growing.
Continue to keep the soil loose by drawing a
cover the ground.
Beets should ripen in from l2O days to l6O
days from time of seeding
When the outer leaves turn yellow and die
down it is an indication that the beets are
rlpenlng or ripe.
TO get proper sample dig two or three rows
in different parts of the field. Sort them into
three slzes-large, medium and small-and
take every twentieth beet at random from the
three piles.
Sample should contain 20 to 25 beets.
DO not cut the tops Off with knife huf
twist the leaves off
Ship in sacks as soon as possible after dig
ging.
Mark each sack plainly with name and ad-
dress OF raiser; send duplicate shipping re-
fiall, stating yield in pounds of the tenth Of
acre seeded.
With regard to harvesting the beet it h as
been learned that hill land beets ripen first
and other kinds OF land can keep up sue
cesslon of rich beets during the months
following. In the Pajaro Valley the har-
vest is practically limited by the winter
rains which come some time in October or
November and render the roads impossible.
This difficulty is partially overcome by
hauling in then all the outstanding crop
and storing it in the factory bins. Beets
at that time of the year. if in good condi-
ton and carefully handled, will keep for
eight weeks. Sugar beets in the Paiaro
Valley show little or no external sign by
which maturity can be known for a GER
tainty. The color of the leaves is an un-
reliable index, and the best or rather the
only certain guide is the analysis of the
root.
When ripe, beets should be at once
plowed up, topped and hauled to the mill.