Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-12-22
Kansas Sugar Beets For 1904.

SONAAA kNNNo"AVS 'hOm OMA LhtuNI ulku
summer temperature, that the beet
would not grow with high sugar.con-
tent in most parts OF the state,
Analysts made through a series OF
years have tended to confirmation Of
this view. Not ouly analysis made
by our own station, hut by the Depart
ment OF Agriculture at Washington,
have shown that, while beets of high
quality may be produced at times aud
places, the general run of them in
this state is only lair in quality. One
great difficulty IN this work is that
farmers do not give them the speclf-
ed care. The modern sugar beet is a
product of seed breeding with the
plants growing under the most favor
able conditions, and, like fine Rtock,
it will at once deteriorate il put into
less favorable conditions.
The soil for sugar beets should be
prepared the previous fall il possible
by subsoiling or deep blowing. Any
persons contemplating a trial next
year should get the ground rea ~
now, This year at two Localities the
farmers cO-operRted in a test of their
respective regions. This 10 the proper
thing to do The Station will not
encourage aud perhaps not cooperate
in tests by isolated farmers another
year But where the people of any
locality reocgnizs the value of a
sugar beet factory TO local business
and to agriculture, and are willing
to grow the beets according to etand-
ard directions, the Station will gladly
make the nece sary analysis.
Ia many cases the beets sent in
this year bear evidence OF having been
grown on land not suited to them or
not properly prepared. This ia shown
by their stumpy form, and large pro-
portion above the surface of the
ground. ThegFowers in comparative.
ly few cases follow the directions for
culture rs to distance between the
rows. 1t is q we'll asertained fact
that to produce a beet rich in sugar
it must be kept down in size. One
and one-half pounds is about right.
This with a perfect stand would give
over thirty tons to the acre, il the rows
were eighteen inches apart and the
beets eight inches apart in the row,
Large yields are possible, therefore,
without sacrificing quality to weight
To plRnt and till rows as close as
eighteen inches, on the large scale,
special drills and cultivators are used.
For experimental plRts hand work
must be depended on. A fair test Of
our state can never BE- made until
those engaged in the work follow The
methods which experience has shown
to be essential to the highest success.
The past season has been uniavor-
able in many localities because of the
extremely wet spring followed by
summer drouth. The number Of pla's
destroyed BY heavy rains would sur
prise any one knowing the state only
as "Drouthy Kansas"
About 100 samples have lem anal
yzed thus far, coming from all parts
OF the state. Twenty-Five OF these
were grown 10 Reno county and eight
IN Sumner county, these counties
giving special attention to the test
They being IN the southern part Of
the state, are we'll situated Ultimately.
Twenty-Five samples from Reno
county gave an average of 1898 per
cent Of sugar IN the juice. The eight
samples from Sumner county gave
11.& per cent. These bests are thus
OF only fair average quality. Though
they could be used IN sugar making,
the manufacturers would be at great
disadvantage.
The average for the state ia IL Al
per cent. This is somewhat slower than
last year, Twelve, or about one in
eight, yielded Juice with over IA per
cent Of sugar. Only ons of these WAS
from the counties named above, al.
though they furnished one-thmd the
samples. The rich bsets have nearly
all come from northern aud western
counties. The richest we're from
Cloud county, with 1921 per cent
The advantages OF succemful
sugar beet factory to a locality are
great, but the lnjnrg Of boom CO.
lspsed is only too we'll known to our
Oikizana fftha REIMBURSEMENT 2tak;o,,