The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-05-01
WASHINGTON LETTER
The Sugar Beet

WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Sugar Beet.
The Secretary of Agriculture has
given some very interesting and
and valuable facts regarding the
sugar beet, its culture and import
ance
When we take into consideration
the fact that in the year 1896, the
total amount of sugar manufacture
ed in the world was seven million,
seven hundred and seven thousand,
five hundred tons, Of which four
million, nine hundred and sixty
thousand tons was produced from
the sugar beet, it will at once be
apparent that this plant is one of
the most important which can be
cultivated in the United States.
Careful experience in this coun-
try has developed the fact that the
sugar bset will produce the best
result in latitude where the aver
age isothsrmal line of 10 degrees
Fahrenheit, averages for the
months Of June, July and August
this line does not follow latitudinal
lines but varies in accordance with
other conditions.
IL this country it covers the
south hslfof New York, Michigan
Wisconsin and Minnesota; the
north half Of Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa; almost the
whole South Dakota, north and
west portions of Nebraska, slightly
touching Kansas; turning south
covers the entire alluvial lands OF
Colorado, including most of New
Mexico, Arizona California, Utah
Idaho, the north half of Oregon
and the touth half of Washington
making an area large enough tt
furnish sugar for the entire world
Regarding some of the district:
named where 1t never rains il
summer, irrigation will have to be
resorted to; but it may be said O
this plant, that it stands droutf
splendidly, and in an irrigated
district the percentage of sugar ir
greater in the beet, than where
there is a natural rain fall.
The trouble with American farm
ers has been, and is now, that those
who live north of the cotton bel
are brought into direct competition
with the low price of wages il
India, and Russia as well as Chin,
and Japan, and there has been al
over-production in the food pro
ducts, which has caused prices t,
be lower than can be profitabl,
maintained by the United States.
The people of the United State
are expendirg over $l00,000,000
year for imported sugar, the large
part of it being bought of Germany
The output of the product from tn
sugar beet in Germany during tn
year 1896, amounted to one millio
eight hundred thousand ton,
Lands can be made profitable t
raise this product when worth 81
to 500 per acre whereas, the san
lands as now farmed, in norther
Nebraska, for instance, are farme
at loss at valuation of 500 DE
' acre. For example, take an acr
of French culture of this plan
They pay $4O,S5 alone for ferti
{ izing, which in most of the regior
q of the United States named, do,
: not have to be used; the total CO
of farming French acre of sug,
. beets as given by French statist
. clans is s7O,6i. the crop wht
$ harvested amounting to twent
u five tons of beets, which sold at Il
u factory at $500 per ton, makiI
9 $4,000; if we then deduct the CO
. of culture, it will be seen that d
i, profit from an acre in France
y $54.39. Experiments in the Unit
IL States show that the beet may
Ie raised in this country at a MAJ
rs mum cost of $34.aO per acre, but
e we allow laborers one dollar p