The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-17
LOOKS FOR BIG SUCCESS
Believes Sedgwick County
Soil Is Fitted Exactly,
NO IRRIGATION NECESSARY
Says Enough Rain Falls to
Supply All Needs,

AIr. W R. Padley, the sugar beet ex-
pert from Rocky Ford. Colo. starts out
this morning in blue genes and a jumper
to instruct the farmers Of Sedgwick coun-
~ the art Of raising sugar beets that viii
contain the most sugar when they are
matured
Mr.. Padley is here under the direction Of
the Chamber OF Commerce and will do
everything in his power to see that a pro-
htable experiment IS made. For five years
he has been in this business and is yet
very young man, but old in experience
with the soil of the earth He viii start
out first to the southeast and visit the
farmers who are making the experiment
with the beet plant
There has been a great deal Of talk on
the part Of many in this city in which
they doubted the ACCESSIBILITY OF making
the present experiment at raising sugar
beets because Sedgwick county is not a
network Of irrigation bitches. They
figured out that the reason why the
Colorado town made such q success with
the sugar beets was because of the irri-
cation. This is only true in the sense
that Colorado could not raise anything
without irrigation. Her averag rainfall
FOR the year does not amount TO more
than six inches and il nearly all comes in
June. The average for Kansas is nearly
thirty inches. Mr. Padley says that he
believes that sugar beets can be raised
here in Sedgwick county more profita bly,
than in his own state for the simple
reason that irrigation is eliminated.
This gentleman. whose headquarters are
at the office Of the Chamber Of Commerce
in the city building, said yesterday TO a
reporter for the Eagle:
This experiment means everything 10
me. If I succeed IL is a success for me
as well as for your people and / mean
TO succeed If things do not look entirely
opposite 70 what they really are From
what know Of this country it could not
be better adapted To this industry The
soil has that dark. sandy foam which is
the first requisite. Some rain is needed
yet. no very great amount. Out at Rocky
Ford, the farmers when the water rush
es down stream. use too much Of Il and
when We tell them that il Injuries the
crop to food it, many Of them pay no
heed ard think that because a little water
is good that more is better. The plant is
q very sturdy one and hard 10 kill In
the spring Cood rains are Just the thing
and some water while the beet is growing
helps its growth. About August /. il is
necessary that no rain OF any consequence
fall. II the best result from the crop is
gotten II must have tim TO mature be-
fore harvesting or the amount Of sachar-
ine or sugar in the plant viii not be so
great. I understand that you seldom #
ever have rain IN the fan of the year so
that in this way this county is exactly
fitted for sugar heets.
THE ground that the seed is planted
IN should be plowCd deep To get the best
results but this is not necessary. only q
help. The rows are placed about sixteen
inches apart and the plants eight inches.
This is another way in which the
industry here viii be more profitable
than in Colorado. There the rows
must be placed farther apart TO
allow the irrigation witches 10 run
between them. out here the rows can be
placed closer together and thus a greater
tonnage to the acre can bc procured. In
addition q this, there is the great expense
that our men out in Colorado are put TO
in their efforts 10 make that soil pro-
ductive of anything. They must level it
of so that the water i'm the bitches VIII
reach all parts of IT. Then they must
pay ont a large sum of money for irriga-
ton bitches. Again. there is the water
tax Indeed 7 can't see why SedEwick
county can't make more Get Of this in