Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-05-09
How the Suaar Beet Paws.

Here around Bay City the land is
fiat and rich. 1t is settled largely by
Hollanders. with liberal admixture
of Americans of other origin. The
farms are small and thoroughly titled
and when the farmers were first ap.
preached by the representatives of the
sugar factories they showed much
more than ordinary willingness to take
Is>the experiment of sugar-beet rails
ing. This enterprise on the part Of
the farmers is the more surprising be-
cause sugar-beet culture represents an
entirely different branch of farming
from that usually practiced in America
more careful or intensive farming as
distinguished by the extensive farm
ing practiced by the producers of corn
wheat and hay. 1t more nearly ap
proximates the system in vogue in Eu
rope, bordering as it does on garden
ing. By the old system the farmer
,planted a field of wheat and paid no
more attention to It until 1t was ready
to harvest. But when beets are plant
ed, they require constant and costly
attention for several months. In the
first place. the ground must be much
more thoroughly prepared, plowed
deeper and more carefully pulverized
than for any other crop; then the seed
must be sown with care in drills. and
when they come up, the plants must
be thinned out to give room for the
plants to grow-work that requires
the painful labor OF knees an back
during the long hot days of June.
Weeds must also be kept down with
perseverance, and cultivation must go
on steadily until the leaves of the
beets are large enough to shade the
ground. All this costs immense labor
and care and expense, especially If
the fields are large. The farmer can
not depend upon his own family to
do all the work, but must hire boys.
help with the thinning and wedding
In short. it is much more scientific
method of farming than that ordinarily
in vogue in this country; it uses the
land more thoroughly and profitably
and 1t requires much more business
capacity on the part of the farmer.
But II 1t costs more per acre to raise
beets than wheat or corn. the profits
are correspondingly much greater, and
as soon as the farmer can be made to
see this great advantage. he is usually
more than anxious to take up the work.
The Bay City factory already men
toned in common with many other fac
tories throughout the country, en-
pioys a man whose sole duty 1t is to
go through the country and interest
the farmers in beet raising. showing
them how the work is done. making
contracts with them, and then watch
ing the crop the whole season, giving
his advice and assistance whenever
possible. At the time of my visit at
Bay City the beets were just ready
for harvest. and the great fiat fields oi
them, covered with spreading green
leaves, furnished an example OF farm
wealth to be equaled in few other pla
ces in the country. The sizes OF the
crops OF various farmers varied from
two to three acres up to 1S0 acres. al
planted to beets. Every acre Of these
splendid farms will yield from twelv'
to twenty tons of beets. and the value
per ton is from 81 upward. according
to the richness Of the beets In sugar
Say that the yield is fifteen tons PEI
acre. and that the farmer receives thu
minimum price for his product. his In
come would then be $50 per acre, ver!