Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-02-16
THE CULTIVATION
OF SUGAR BEETS.

tonnage pee acre: 1t will, however. en-
able the fIctorles to start from five to
twenty days earlier than in northern
Colorado. east OF the Divide.
From the College Bulletin report l
CLEAN most valuable data relating to
the ability of our soil to produce. 1t
gives the average from fifteen fields OF
beets near Sterling and Fort Morgan
as being ia tons per acre gross, or
Is tons of trimmed beets ready for the
factovy. From the San Luis valley
comes evidence of yield on the farm
OF CHARLES Milne at La lara of 40 tons
to the acre, witch tested 1874 per cent.
sugar. At Alamosa. n. G. Shaw Is
credited with harvesting over Is tons
from. measured half acre Of land,
and his product yielded II per cent;
but coming north again, j. A. Davis
at Berthoud has II record Of 35 tons
par acre, testing 1857 per cent. sugar.
Than the report comes to Boulder
county and says:
"Probably the most profitable sugar
hects raised In Colorado the past sea-
sOn were those grown by ]. w. Bacon,
seven miles east of LOngmont. When
his field was prepared for wheat he
left out about nn acre and planted this
lnter to sugar beets, giving the land
but ONE more narrowing In addition to
Its preparation for wheat. Only three
pounds Of seed We're used per acre, In
drills 81 inches apart, sown with the
ordinary wheat drill. The plants We're
not thinned. We're Irrigated but twice
when the water was turned onto the
wheat, and received only such cultiva-
tiOn as would be given an ordinary
field Of corn. The crop from the acre
was 21 tons of bects. which tested II
per cent. sugar AMI Sl.4 per cent. pur-
liy."
The report is from Bulletin No. a..
prepared by Professors W. W. Cook
and VIM. Il. Headden OF the State Ag-
riculture College. February. 1898. I
will not here quote much of the valu-
able data there found. but simply give
the reference that those Interested may
easily procure all the past experience
In the state down to this year.
II may be claimed by some that the
tests made We're from picked samples:
a reading Of the reports will convince
that such was not the ease. but. dis
cardlng all that. and we have later and
more satisfactory evidence than any
given In 1897. Late In October last the
Gulf Railroad Company collected from
along It's line In Boulder. Weld and
Larimer counties. nine ears OF sugar
beeta and sent them TO the Grand
Island factory In Nebraska. The OFF,
clal returns. us sent to the Gulf head
quarters. We're most pleasing. indeed
they seem almost too good to be true.
1t demonstrated beyond the shadow OF
a doubt that Northern Colorado. along
the gently rcccding irrigated lands at
the base of the foot hills. Is situated
the natural home OF the sugar beet.
The average for this train load q nine
cars. gathered from nearly 200 farms.
was 30 tons OF bccts to the acre. which
ran 1913 per cent. sugar. average plr.
ity, SIG. The report says: 1T was
the richest consignment ever handled
at the Grand Island MILL" and based
on the high grade OF the Colorado
beeis. they posted an offer Of 20 cents
per ton over the Nebraska product
At 81 per ton, and from II TO II tons
to the acre. the Nebraska farmer Is
| furnishing the mills with their full Gu
pacity ut n handsome profit. What
might our farmers nroiit with double
the tonnage per acre at Sl.I5 per ton
as the price now stands? After ship
ping this crop over 400 miles. the prof
It's We're more than IN raising wheat
under the most favorable conditions.
would not advocate n general sur
render of our fields to bee,s, but al
experience supports me In asserting
that u frequent diversity or ROTATION OF
crops tends to greatly enhance thu
yielding value OF the ground and pre-
vents, In great measure. the LAND
from eliminating.
| II nn acre OF your land as In the
average of the mentioned train load
will yield you 10 tons Of trimmed
beets and to s tons of tops and re
jected roots, which are of great valu,
as feed for stock or as fertilizer. ant
that 36 tons when laid down at the
factory brings you S1I1, Is 1t not wortl
your time to consider this Important
question? We will use the comparison
of another writer when commentinl
on the above facts. He says: 0E'.
''The best yield OF Greeley potatoe,
seldom rises higher than 200 bushel,
per acre. The average price per bush
el of potatoes, laid down on the plat
form at Greeley. is % cents. Tn,
farmer who Is SO lucky ns to raise po
tatoes In that favored region IL happy
IL he receives $50 per acre for tn,
crop. He is regarded by his less fav
Ored nelghbOrs ns on the high way I,
fortune. The difference between S.,
and $1Il Is only II part OF the differ
ence in favor OF sugar beet raising II
Northern Colorado. The potatoes mus
he sacked and the placing OF the Gro,
in the market is long and tiresoml
work. extending over several months
The beet crop IL disposed of quickl,
and at season when the farmer Il
best prepared to carry the beets TO til,
railway. He has no further troubl,
with the bects after they are landct
In the cars. as the railroad and fac
tory do the rest
A comparison carried further with
wheat. oats or rye crop will show ever
a much greater discrepancy in favor o
beet culture. With this crop, unlik,
any other. there Is little or no risk o.