The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-17
sUGAR-BEET TERRITORY.
The Theoretical Sugar Belt as Indi-
Gated by Experiment..

| Government Bulletin.
Experience has shown that the sugar beet
reaches its highest development in north
ton of beets with high tonnage IS CON
! cerned, it is found that this can be accom-
| plished far TO the south, but beets grown In
! such localities are, upon the whole, less
rich in sugar and less suitable for the man
ufacture of sugar than those grown far
Their north: 1t must be rememberedd' s hoy,
do not refer to any absolute parallels or
latitude, but rather to isothermal lines
which in many cases run obliquely to the
parallels of latitude and in some cases cross
them almost al right angles. AS result OF
many years of careful experimentation, 1t
may be said that as far as temperature
alone is concerned the sugar beet attains
its greatest perfection in a zone of varying
width through the center of which passes
the isothermal line of 20 degrees #. for the
months of June, July and August. This
zone for this country is shown in the ac-
| companying map Zig. ID
States, begins near the city of New York
and passes up the Hudson river TO Albany;
thence turning westward It runs near Syr-
acuse and passes in southwesterly direc-
ton, touching the shore of Lake Erie near
Sandusky, o.; turning then in a northwest
erly direction. it enters Michigan and
reaches it's highest point in that State near
Lansing; then going in q southweSterly di-
rection, it enters the State, of Indiana near
South Bend, passes through Michigan City,
then in a northwesterly course continues
through the cities of Chicago and Madison,
reaching Its highest point near st. Paul,
Mimi. Thence it extends in southwest
erly direction until it enters the State of
South Dakota, where it turns again north
west and reaches its highest point in Da-
kota just above the forty-fifth parallel of
latitude where it crosses the Missouri
river The isothermal line then turns al
most due south, following very closely the
one hundred and first degree of longitude
until it leaves the State of Nebraska near
te northeast corner OF GoIorado; passing di
orado, it reaches at Pueblo almost to the
one hundred and fifth degree of west lon
gitude, whence it passes in a slightly south
easterly direction into New Mexico, turns
to the west and crosses the one
Extending distance of one hundred
miles on each side of this isothermal line is
belt which, for the present may be re-
garded as the theoretical beet-sugar area
many localities lying outside of this belt,
both north and south, in which the sugar
beet will be found to thrive but this will
be due to some exceptional qualities of the
climate or soil, and not to any favorable
influence of higher or lower temperature.
"A mean temperature of 70 degrees +. in the
summer, however, must not be regarded as
the only element of temperature which is
to be taken into consideration. In those
localities where the winters come early
and are of unusual severity will be found
greater difficulties in the production of SUI
gar from the sugar beet than in those To-
calities where the winters are light and
mild, although the mean summer tempera-
ture of both localities may be represented
by 70 degrees F. AS an illustration of this
and South Dakota, where the winters are
of great severity and southern California,
where there is scarcely any winter at ALL
The mean summer temperature of these
localities is about the same, but the con-
tinuation of q semisummer temperature
through the winter in southern California
greatly favors the growth and manufacture
of the beets. In northern Nebraska and
South Dakota the beets, which are to be
manufactured during the winter time, have
to be protected by expensive silos. In
southern California and other places SINH
larly situated the beets can be protected
without any covering. or at most with only
a slight covering of leaves or straw. The
season for planting in mild climate is also
longer. For instance, in southern Cali
fornta planting can commence as early as
January and continue till June, thus Civ
ing a beet crop coming continuously into
maturity from the 1st of August to the 1st
of December In other, localities the plant
ing must be accomplished in a short time
say from the 10th of May till the LIST of
June. Before the first of these dates the
ground will be too cold for planting and
after the second the season will be SO late
as to prevent the maturity of the beets be-
fore frost. When the field is properly
plowed and subsoiled in the late autumn
the farmer will be able to take advantage
of the first favorable opportunity in the
spring to prepare the surface of the soil
and plant the seed.