Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1900-08-30
Commercial Association Will Devote
Funds to Securing Contracts to
Grow BeetS.
Th0uQht That Six Thousand Acres
Can be Contracted For With
out Difficulty.
Proposition to Hold a Farmers Insti-
tute in jamestown Fdv0rdbly
Received.

Ihe meeting OF tne jamestown OOHl'
mercial and Industrial Association
Monday evening was called to order by
President Rose. There was large
attendance of members. The associa-
tion took up the matter OF devotlng
some of the funds to the purpose OF
defraying the expenses of the persons
who would be sent out to secure con-
tracts for sugar beet growing with
farmers. 1t was announced that there
was $27O in the treasury. After some
discussion it was decided that the
committee in charge of the beet sugar
factory project should be empowered
to draw on the association for d total
amount not to exceed 5000. Mr.. Rit-
tenhouse thought it would not be wise
to devote all the funds in the treasury
to the purpose, but believed that 5000
would be sufficient. Mr.. Lutz stated
that it was thought by some that it
would be good plan to leave the con-
tracts at different business houses 50
that farmers could be shown the same
and contracts for growing the beets
secured with little trouble. Some
farmers who had at first laughed at
the idea of growing beets, afterward
were quite enthusiastic over it. The
growing of beets was profitable in
other localities and would undoubt-
.edly prove SO here. The Northern
Pacific, Mr.. Lutz stated, will give fav-
orable rates should factory be estab-
lished, and is doing all possible to
bring about the building Of the fac
tory. On motion, Messrs. Ritten'
house, White and Beck were appoint
ed as auditing committee.
Mr.. Rittenhouse said that in con-
versation with Professor Ladd OF the
Fargo Agricultural college the latter
had expressed willingness to come here
aid hold a farmers institute at any
time when it should be decided to
hold one. The idea was a good one
Mr.. Rituenhouse thought and an in
stitute could be held next winter.
The institute would result in much
good to farmers generally. A discus
sion ensued in which it was agreed
that such an institute should be held.
Mr.. Rose thought that ideas as to
diversified farming would be OF great
benefit to the farmers. In Iowa the
farmers were much poorer than they
are here, Mr.. Rose stated, until they
quit depending on wheat raising alone.
The same was true in StutSman
county and North Dakota. The
farmers who depend not alone on
wheat but have stock, raise corn and
other grain are not affected very
greatly by wheat failure.
B. Orlady agreed to Investigate the
matter of how much work was re-
quired in thinning beets and other
facts regarding the growing OF the
same on his visit to the state fair IN
Minnesota.
Mr.. Taber said there was no queS-
tion but that the farmers would make
more money raising beets than in any
other way-at least that had been the
experience of Michigan farmers.
Lands had increased in value and the
farmers were prOSpering.
1t was the general opinion that
there will be no difficulty in securing
contracts fol the 5000 acres required.
Farmers seem to be taken with the
idea and nearly all who have been
talked with regarding the matter
have expressed themselves as agree
able to the proposition.
The meeting was adjourned subject
to the call of the president.
WORK WITH MACHINERY.
, Those persons who have not followed
closely the development of the beet
sugar industry during the past few
years in the United States have very
little conception of the revolution
that has taken place in the methods
of planting, cultivating and gathering
the crop. When the raisi ng OF the
sugar beet was first taken up in this
country few years ago, it was raised
after the method that had been in
vogue in Germany for many years.
The seed was sowed by hand. the
crop hoed and weeded and thinned by
hand, and the beets were harvested
and topped by hand, and an immense
amount of labor was necessarily put
upon each acre of land cultivated. In