Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-07-24
Hail the Sugar Beet. "

| we CUmm6nu tllS editorial iron
the Topeka State Journal. 1t is
clear exposition Of the benefits Of th
sugar beet industry to Kansas. Tn
State Journal published this a few
weeks ago and the support Senate
Burton has been giving this industr,
with possibilities undreamed Of
ought to be extremely gratifying" tt
the State Journal and we are sur,
that when 1t remembers what it sai(
it will endorse him heartily.
The State Journal editorial follows
1.-THE results Of Secretary Coburn'
investigation Of the sugar beet exper
iments in Finney, Kearney and Ham
ilton counties must be extremely
gratifying to the people Of western
Kansas. Gratifying because they
prove that there are possibilities be
fore that section hitherto undreamed
Of; because it may mean that regions
heretofore devoted to vast cattle
ranges may become thickly populated.
1.-THE experiments were conducted
the past summer under unfsvorable
conditions. The farmers were not
prepared for the work; they knew lit.
tie of the methods necessary to raise
sugar beets; their land was not
ditched for properly irrigating the
crop; they we're accustomed to deal.
ing with large tracts and did not
understand the necessity of combining
their efforts to a comparatively few
acres.
Notwithstanding all these draw
backs numbers Of the experimenters
made net profit of from $25 to $50
an acre, and it is believed that in an
other year or two, with added exper-
fence, they can make profit Of from
$50 to 500 an acre. This is done in
Colorado and it ought to be accom-
plished more easily in Kansas.
Colorado is not an agricultural
state, yet the five beet sugar factories
in the state paid to the beet sugar
raisers more than three million dol.
lars last year. The comparatively
small area which produces the beets
necessary to run these factories may
be realized when it is stated that the
largest Of these factories, the one at
Rocky Ford, paid out approximately
one million dollars for the product Of
10000 acres, or more than eighty dol
lars an acre.
"There are hundreds OF thousands
OF acres OF land in western Kansas
which can be utilized for the produce
ton Of sugar beets. There is fire..
quen.ly sufficient rainfall during the
spring to terminate the seeds and
give the plants good start, but i: is
essential that there should be a way
to irrigate during the summer, and
for this reason a gasoline engine or
large windmill is necessary in those
localities where irrigation is not prac-
ticable from streams. During the
early fall when rains are disastrous to
the vital qualities Of the beets there
is little danger Of rainfall on the west.
ern prairies. The soil, too, is Of such
a nature that it is especially adapted
to the production Of the sugar beet.
"Western Kansas has heretofore
been considered the exclusive prop
srty Of the cattlemen. The uplands
where even a little irrigation is i'm
possible will probably continue to be
30, but there is no reason why the
bottom lands should not be extremely
productive. 1t requires very little
and to support a large population in
sugar beet region, because ten acres
u sugar beets is equivalent in market
rslue to 80 acres Of wheat or q whole
lection devoted to pasturing cattle.
L put into sugar beets western Kan.
as 10 capable Of supporting an i'm.
nsnss population.
Gall hail the suRar teet!'