The record-union., 1897-11-02
GROWING SUGAR BEETS.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVAN-
TAGES OF THEIR CULTURE.
Important Specific Testimony Civ
en- by Watsonville
Farmers.

cultivation of other field products is one
of the highest Importance 10 the people
of the State of California everywhere.
Only the testimony based upon person
al experience will be worth anything as
determining the range of questions
sought to be answered
The following report made by a care
ful observer to a gentleman who repre-
sents interests relating to the cultiva-
ton of the soil has been forwarded to
the Record Union for publication.
| Examinations We're made at Watson
Vile in May of this year relating to the
experience of growers of beet crops for
the season of 1896.
The statement Of the value of lands
| at Watsonville at $3.50 an acre at the
date when the observation was taken
Will attract attention.; but it must be
understood that for many years before
| the cultivation of beets good land at
! Watscnville was worth from 5000 to
S2oO per acre. The statement that beet
growing conferred this valuation is not
warranted by the history of land val
ues at that locality. The Record
! Union" has no other interest in this
question than the definite ascertainment
of fact, and as stated in another col
umn, will be glad to publish testimony
of experienced beet raisers. 1t will
not, however, give space to hearsay tes-
timony.
| =, The report follows:
In compliance with your request,
visited Watsonvlle, and beg 10 submit
herewith the result of my ,rip. During
the forenoon l interviewed the real es-
| tate nd or IN x-ffh n
View Of sscertaining the price of land.
etc. | visited a number Of beet growers,
whose names had been given me as
thr - Of well-to-do, successful growers.
ana careful. conservative men. / also
saw Mr.. Morse, the field agent Of the
sugar company. and he Informed me
that the season Of 1896 had haen the
best one in the history Of the company.
both for grower and company. the entire
yield averaging 14.06 tons per acre
segregating the rich valley lands fTom
those of poorer quality, which yielded
seven and eight tons per acre, the aver
age Of the former was seventeen tons.
II visited the places Of John Ken
naugh, whose land adjoins the factory
site on the south, and Of James Red
mond, about a mile from town on the
| SAINT lOcNp titQ VI tiit w NiilC4 dull
ers, John Trafton, and the McGowans.
across the river, in what they call the
mud-1at district. I also had an inter-
view with Mr. Owen Tuttle, now a re-
tire capitalist, but who formerly raised
beets on his land near town. And as
the statements of these various parties
practically agreed, / give you herewith
the lowest and highest rate of cost
| Cot, l.
ideas Of those interviewed AS I antic-
ipated I did not find any of the farm
ers who had figured very closely on the
cost, to him, of producing beets. While
formerly the ground was ploughed
| twice, as a rule it is now plowed but
once, the preparation of the soil being
completed by working the surface, cul-
tivating, dragging, etc. In this, how
ever, they are largely governed by the
conditions of the season, the lateness
of the rains, etc, so that in reality no
! two seasons are alike, either in tha
quantity produced, or the cost of cult
walton. The parties interviewed usually
employed single gang plows, with from
five to seven horses for adobe land, and
| four horses for sediment land; and they
figured on plowing from two to three
Z
the seed. at q cost of 10 cents per pound
tine quantity sown averaging ten pounds
per acre. The seeding is done with a
drill furnished also by the factory peo
pie. at g rental Of 10 cents per acre.
The cultivating topping and loading is
usually done by Chinese or Japanese
contractors, at 81 per ton-at least this
was the rate prevailing last year.
. i, f.1r
/ ably situated for getting his crop to
the factory, and having land eminent
/ ly adapted to the culture had quit
raising beets. and thought that, taking
one year with another that there was
as much money to, be made out of po-
! tatoes. His average yield had been
about twenty tons He had never fig
ured on the cost of putting in his
crop. the work being done by his own
! teams He thought. however, that So
| per acre would prepare the land and
put in the seed He usually planted
| ten pounds per acre; for wedding. thin
ming, topping, and loading, he had en-
ployed the contract system. Flowing
out was worth about 81 per acre, and
] his hauling was worth something like
| 25 cents per ton. He valued his land,
/ with improvements, Which, Weit auoNe
| the avera ge farm improvements, at
$3.50 per acre, but did not think that
any one could pay such price for land
/ to raise beets on.
F. Werner of Werner Brothers. on
/ the west side. has grown beets from
| the start and as a rotary crop con-
sidered beet raising all right. His av
erage yield was fifteen tons, though 1T
/ sometimes ran as low IS nine tons.
/ In 1894 from thirty acres he had Sc
cured 757 tons. and his deductions for
dirt had run all the way from 10 per
cent to GO per cent. Such heavy crop,
/ however affecter his land the succeed
ing year. for the same piece only pro-
duced $50 sacks Of barley the next har-
vest He valued his land at $500 per
acre. and could rent the same at SO
per acre cash. With his experience in
beet raising. taking one year with an
other, he did not think any one could
afford to pay over 5000 per acre for
| land to raise beets-he certainly would
| not if he did not have the money to
pay for the same outright. Asked If in
/ his Judgment a party could safely buy
such land as he had at 500 per acre,
pay half cash. and depend upon his beet
crop to nay off the remaining portion
Of the purchase price within few
years he stated he would not advise one
! to undertake it-he would not for him
oh nr- h1 ~,