The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-25

generally Some of the expert men go 20
southern California where the company
has two factories. thence to Louisiana,
making the rounds once year. But 1t IL
claimed that as the industry expands.
and the acreage OF beets increases the
plant can be kept running for longer
period each year. In answer to this OBJ
lection as regards labor. it may be said
that the basis of the whole thing is the
individual farmer Upon him more than
anything else in the consideration depends
the success or failure of the business.
In a trip through the factory and over
the beet fields one finds large number
of people formerly residents of Kansas.
Some of them wish they might retain their
residences in Kansas. but they seem dis
inclined to give up the proposition of
growing sugar beets for that of general
agricultural pursuit in this state. W. NJ.
Lackey, who used to have a position In
the Santa Fe storehouse in Topeka, was
in beet field pulling and topping and
seemed satisfied with his place. He
thought it was better than anything he
had struck here because he made ordinar-
lily about $50 acre off his beats and he
did not consider that exceptional. There
were others from Reno, Cowley and
Jewell counties who were interested in
ley and who probably would not move
back to this state unless the beet sugar
proposition were here to bring them.
SALVATION ARMY COLONY.
IfSre Is anOIner feature WntCn argues
strongly for the beet sugar proposition.
That is, that various sects have taken up
with the idea and have located small COL
onies of their people in the district. One
of the first evidences that the train is
approaching the sugar district is at Amity
where the Salvation Army has a settle
ment of 200 people and where cars are
standing on the sidings loaded with beets
1t was told that the Salvationists were
pleased with the proposition so much that
of a h0 ruh IN tod
from the slums of the eastern cities, only
two had given 1t UP and gone back to the
east. On the streets of the very little
town of Rocky Ford one frequently meets
men and women wearing the distinctive
garb of the bunker church And from
letters shown, concerning which no names
can be used, favorable expressions are
given of the material progress which this
sect has made. Both of these religious
bodies are conservative in such matters
and take up with a proposition the sort
of that in the Arkansas valley only after
complete investigation; and their presence
therefore carries considerable argument
with it. Thus far in the Arkansas valley
there has been little tendency toward i'm
poverishment of the soil where sugar beets
are planted; but the elements which they
draw from it tends to exhaustion rapidly
and it has been found advisable to prac-
tice rotation of crops much as possible.
Immediately preceding the beet crop, some
cereal is recommended and Immediately af-
ter it alfalfa is excellent, the last crop
being plowed under in the fall and allow
ed to lie fallow until seeding time in the
spring Preceding the cereal potatoes are
said to be an excellent crop.
PRICES OF LAND.
In this section the price of land ranges
from 500 to $500 an acre according to the
location and other minor conditions Az
rule when a purchaser makes a deal for
Arkansas valley dirt he pays at the same
time for perpetual water privilege-that IS
the right so long as he owns his land to
irrigate from the water furnished by the
ditch companies. Much of the stock in
the Rocky Ford section is said to be own
ed by the American Beet Sugar company
which operates the sugar factory. Then
afterward from time to time the land
owner is assessed small sum each year
for repairs required on the ditch. Thin is
said to run about so cents annually an
acre The size of the farms range from
to 1000 acres, the average appearing 10
be between Is and 40 acres
Composing the party Of Kansas farmers
who visited the Rocky Ford district there
were the following:
r. Merten and R. W. Emerson. Great
Bend; J. H. Churchill. Dodge city, ]. q
Potter, W. c. Thompson and r. j. ora
ham. Hutchinson; Oscar Schaffer. Dor
Doris Fowler and D. A. Hunter. Frn
poria; Henry Norton and L. C. WATSON.
Independence