The record-union., 1897-10-19

The cost OF growing an acre OF peers
depends on so many varying factors
as to render 1t impossible to give an
estimate which is reliable for every To-
cality. The differences in rent of land,
cost of labor, methods Of culture. etc,
require that any estimate which may
be given should be revised for almost
every series Of conditions. The follow
ing estimate of maximum cost per acre
is based on the supposition that land
is worth SO per acre, labor 81 per day,
the yield 10 tons per acre:
Rent of land .........................S IS 90
Flowing. subsoiling and preparing
for planting ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 90
19st OF seed. ........................... .
flantlng .;..;.....:...--.-..-...... 70
Hoeing and thinning ................... 8 90
CEltivating with horse hoe five times 90
harvesting ......+.........-......-... W
topping :..'...--......-.....-.... u 90
Delivering to factory. I 30
rotal Sso n
Value of Is tons, at 81 5O............... 81 80
In the above estimate has been in
cludsd the cost of the best culture and
a reasonable application of fertilizers.
1t is probable that the actual cost to
our farmers for the first few years
of the beet industry will not exceed S45
per acre. and in many instances viii
fall below these figures. The price paid
for the beets is dependent on many To-
cal considerations but chiefly on the
selling price of sugar and the richness
Of the beet
In contrast with the above estimate.
the actual figures submitted by J.
Thomssen Of Hall County, Nebraska,
in letter published in the Prairie
Farmer" on the Sd of January 1891.
of five acres, and the items are as fol-
lows:
Fall plowing. at 81 per acre......... s. 90
Plowing in spring. at 81 25.......... %
Rolling twice, once before and once
after planting ....-.................. 1 SO
Planting by hand, at IS cents per
esi5isaiias ssfs with hoe. a, fs cents: sFs
Ihinning, at $40. ......................... so 90
Hoeing by hand three times and
Weedlng necessary at time of hoe
ing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 80 90
Cultivatlng by horse twice, at rs
cents .............:............. so
from remaining weeds.............. 3 IS
Total S171 80
Dividing this by gives a total of
$;i4 30 per acre.
As viii be seen from the above Mr..
Thomssen makes no allowance for the
rent Of the land, and gives no estimate
Of the price of seed and of the ex-
pense of harvesting and hauling to the
factory. But his field was hoed by
hand three times, which with the prop
er implements is more than is neces-
sary, one good hand hoeing being as a
rule sufficient
HARVESTING.
The time for harvesting varies in diff
ferent localities. In Southern Califor-
nit the beets planted in February are
ready for harvesting in August. In
general it may be said that beets plant
ed the first week in May viii be ready
for harvesting about the 1st of October
Harvesting should be postponed to as
late date as possible, provided the
beets are in no danger of a second
growth and are not exposed to a freez-
ing temperature. The leaves of the
Tipened beet change from a rich to a
yellOwish green become dropping and
applied closely to the earth, and many
of them die.
The harvesting is easily accomplished
by first lousening the beets in the soil
and then removing them by hand. For
loosenfng the beets, the apparatus
shown in figure 20 may be employed
1t can be used to advantage only when
the rows are perfectly straight ard the
beets of a reasonably uniform size. The
teeth of the apparatus are sunk deep
enough into the earth to catch the beet
below its middle part In moving for
ward the plow catches the beets be-
tween its two prongs, which approach
more nearly together in the rear, and
on account of the angle at which the
teeth are fixed the beets are lifted and
the tap roots broken. After the pas
sage of the harvester the beets are
easily lifted out of the ground by means
OF their leaves.
The next operation consists in remov
ing the neck. This is done by large
knife and the top Of the beet, called
technically its neck, is cut off so as to
remove, with the top, that portion Of
the beet to which the stems Of the
leaves have been attached.
The object of removing this portion
of the beet is to prevent the mineral
salts. which have accumulated in large
quantities therein, from entering the
factory. These mineral salts exercise
a very. deleterious influence on the
capitalization of the sugar, and there
fore. should be removed. They are well
fitted for feed or for fertilizing pur-
poses. and are Of more value when left
upon the soil than when removed to the
factory. The neck is also much less
rich in sugar than the other parts Of
the root
The removal of the tops of the beets
is a tedious process which, IN Europe,
is performed by women. and children.
In this country the process of topping
the beets viii prove much more expen-
sive than in Europe. 1t is probable
that some mechanical device will be in
vented by which the beets can be top
ped, thus saving a large expense. 80
far as known at the present time,
however, this process has not been sue
cessfully accomplished by machinery
and the topping must still be done by
hand.
When the beets are topped they are
thrown into piles, and the tops thrown
over them as protection from the sun
or frost until they can be delivered to
the factory
The beets are best delivered to the
factory in dump carts, which permit of
their quick unloading. 1t is not custo-
mary for the farmers to silo their beets
except in the simple manner indicated
above.