The Eddy current., 1897-05-29

our correspondent, Mr.. liill, whu
this week comments 20 some extent on
the position taken by the CURRENT
last week on beet farmers, does not
contradict 10 any serious extent the
views expressed. The CURRENT Il
highly gratined 10 boz able 20 boast 10
At last having stirred up little dis
cussion on this all important topic. As
for practical persons handling the
subject, there are none who can be in
duced 10 essay the task unless Mr,
lllll counts that he has already done
Il justice. The average tonnage last
year was about four tons per acre.
Not one In ten of our farmers mace o
success Of beet culture. Now the
CURRENT takes the position that not
more than one In live will average
eight tons per acre this year. II one
farmer can raise fifteen or twenty tons
per ncre, then every person who pre-.
tends 10 be farmer should raise at
least ten tons per acre. The climate
and soil is the same for one farmer as
for another. A printer given the same
conditions can generally duplicate the
job work of another printer 80 the diff
ference Is too slight to be noticed
Then why do persons calling them.
selves farmers iall to duplicate the
work of others calling themselves
farmersY AZ least why does not
farming In beets vary less In tonnage
II Is not so In gyp corn, alfalfa and
other crops. Can not the whole mat.
Ter OF light tonnage be laid 10 igno-
rance, negligence laziness or any 9th.
er cause than that this is not the ideal
valley for beet raisingS When Sir. Hill
says he plants three inches deep the
CURRENT says he Is certainly mistak.
en IN his measurements and estimates,
fir beet planters are not made 10
run three inches deep. Then beet eeed
will not come up through three inches
oi P-cos Valley soil. The CURRENT
did not Say that one Ia live only would
raise beets. but that only one ~ Eve
who undertake the job understand just
what Is wanted to begin with anD that
\ nbout the largest half would ieyer
make beet farmers. Only about one
in four of the farmers In any section
tributary to a bee, factory ever make
real successful beet farmers. In Ne
braska not more than one Ia i've o. the
farmers contiguous 20 the Norfolk or
Grand Island factories ever plant
beets The average American geuer.
ally refuses 90 work at beet raih.ng,
aud IN the future we may only expect
to see the farmers of this valley : ise
beets us last resort. The peopl II
Nebraska hire iussiana 90 thin the
beets and do the hand labor, for an
American will not perform hand labor
on farm. Now, the CuRRRST re.
iterates what II has said about b"et
raising and states without fear Of uiti.
mate refutation that not one half the
farmers of the Pecos Valley will ever
make beet raisers II One.fourth the
people here make beet raisers then We
can boast Of larger per cent than
raise beets In Nebraska. The country
Is the ideal one ior the beet ruiser but
the people will not study the work aud
do it because only a small portion of
our farmers care 10 make living by
doing the kind of work necessary 10
raise beets. II Mexican labor cannot
be- used then beet raising IN the Pecos
Valley is at an end. for the majority Of
the farmers the yulley % settled with
will never raise beets. Asiu allowing
some practical person to handle the
subject, our columns are open and al.
ways have been, but Il seems practical
beet raiiers are rather scarce Tor only
few claim 20 know as much as Mi.
ilill, and those few refuse tO write on
the subject, besides the superintend.
ent, Mr. Nisbet, says his instructions
are not followed aud no one can be.
come beet raiser unless willing 10
follow instructions
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