Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-12-08
CAN RAISE SUGAR BEETs.

Colorado Farmers Find tho Soil Admi
rnbiy Fitted for the New Industry.
The Denver Times, in n recent issue,
presented an exhaustive summary OF
the experiments made In sugar beet
culture in Colorado during the past
season. We quote from the article Us
follows:
The Denver Chamber of Commerce
inaugurnted a movement In the fall OF
1897 to foster the Industry ana ia
make a thorough test OF the various
conditions of Colorado soil and eli
mate under which the berts can be
raised. Previous TO that time 1t had
been determined that sugar beets
could be raised in Colorado to adyant-
age and many feeders were cultivat-
ing them for stock fattcninG purposes.
But under what conditions the beets
would grow to the best advantage and
II they would be successful product
under the varying conditions In direr-
ent parts OF the state, was uncertain.
The State Agricultural College had ex-
perlmented extensively. but what was
needed was to interest the farmers,
and pave the way for the establish
ment of the industry upon CONNER
cial basis. To do this the farmers
must be shown that beet raising would
be profitable.
The work OF distributing the seed
was performed by the Agricultural
College, which has worked In harmony
with the chamber during the entire
summer 1t was through the efforts OF
Professor w. W. Cooke, who occupies
the agricultural chair ut the State Col
legc, that the success OF the contests
was largely due. Mr.. Cooke Travelled
all summer In the interests of the SUI
gar-beet contest. and although this
comes under the line Of work for
which he Is employed by the govern
ment, still he put In much extra labor
In the interests of the chamber, and
for which he asked not n cent OF pay.
During the season Professor Cooke
Travelled 10000 miles on the railroads
of the state In the interest of sugar
beets and to secure data for the report
which Is herewith printed.
The report here printed showa the
results of the analysis just completed
by Professor Cooke. In the laboratory
Of the State Agricultural College. The
figures speak for themselves In elo-
quent language Of the prospects and
possibilities of Colorado rs the home
OF the sugar beet industry. The com.
pilation Is the most complete set of
statistics on an agricultural subject
ever made in the west. and the only
report on the sugar beet crop ever
compiled which shows perfectly the
results of the production of n state for
an entire season.
BY the report 1t Is established be-
yond a doubt that Colorado can lead
the world as n beet grower. The aver
age yield for the entire state was
20.05 tons per acre. The carload re
Gently shipped from Loveland to the
Grand Island factory and which aver
aged thirty-siX tons to the acre, shows
what Colorado can do in raising beets.
Surely we beat the world, for in Ger.
many the quality is not so good and
the quantity Is only about eight tons,
against our twenty to thirty. The re-
port shows that beets raised on Colo
RADIO land are of the highest grade OF
purity, and that the profits for the
farmer make beet raising the most
profitable industry for the Colorado
land tiller. The report shows that
Colorado can raise more than twice ms
many beets on an acre rs any other
beet raising section of the world. for
the average yields of California, Utall
and Nebraska are about eight tons to
;;,,,,; acre, us against twenty for Colo
RADIO.
A great advantage possessed by Col
orado is the proximity of the coal
fields and the limestone beds to the
agricultural localities. A factory con
sumes vast quantities of coal and
limestone daily, and the cost OF
freighting a long distance to the fac
tory would be practically removed ir
Colorado by the nearness of the Goa
mines and the limestone beds. This
difference is so great that it has beer
calculated that 1t will make yer!
material cheapening in the cost of pro
ducing sugar at Colorado factories.
If Nebraska can freight coal ant
lime a long distance and treat Il nine
ton crop of bects at a good profit
both to the farmer and the manufac
turer, which it is doing every day
what can Colorado do with n twenty
ton crop from the same ground, will
the same expense of cultivating, nnt
with cheap coal and lime that cost.
almost nothing at the factory?
Is it any wonder that eastern syndi
Gates are trying to gobble up choic,
Colorado farming lands. when in til,
valleys of the Platte. the Grand ant
the Arkansas profit of $50 per acr,
can be realized by the thrifty farmer
AvIpArE pECIl