The Grit-advocate., 1903-02-20
Some SUGAR Beet Statistics.

The last beets of the 1902 crop were
delivered for shipment to Rocky Ford
on January 17th. A summary of the
seasons yield, obtained from the roc
ords of the agriculturalist of the sugar
company for the vicinities of Mama
nola, Fowler and Pueblo, reveals many
facts of agricultural interest.
These sections cultivated 1929
acres, distributed as follows:
Manzanola. 249 acres; Fowler 5S5
acres; Pueblo. 295 acres.
From this acreage 1851 tons of
beets were shipped to the factory at
Rocky Ford, shipments being made as
follows:
Manzanola. 2.Gs 7tons; Fowler, ,243
tons; Pueblo, 2,G21 tons
The average test for sugar of the
entire acreage was 171a per cent.
which means price to the grower Of
S4.G62a a ton. The factory paid to the
farmers of these three points total
of $40 ,23S, as follows:
Manzanola, 2,6S7 tons; Fowler, 5,243
ACT; Pueblo, $12.231.
The figures, which include every
acre which was worth harvesting at
all, give an average return of $43.6I
an acre, or almost ten tons an acre.
In figuring the returns of the crop
there are several items to be consid-
cred besides the money received from
the factory Amonr thee ehOuld be
mentioned the beets fed by the grower
to stock. the beet pulp returned TO the
grower from the factory, and the value
of the beet tops, either as fertilizer
or as feed.
The total amount fed to stock at
these three points is by careful esti-
mates found to be 900 tons or $4,000
worth of beets. These have been fed
to cattle and hogs and yield returns
equal to the market price of the beets.
The grower is allowed by his con-
tract return of fifty per cent of the
weight of his beets in beet pulp. This
product is, at low estimate. worth
30 cents ton. as feed, more than
it costs the farmer to get it back to
his ranch. Upon this basis it repre-
sents a total value Of $2,63S for tho
acreage above mentioned
Beet tops left lying on the ground
have fertilizing value of 81 an acre,
and they find ready market at from
$1.25 to $3.50 an acre for winter pas.
turage.
If the grower will deliver them they
are in demand at 81 ton for use in
feeding dairy cows. Four tons OF
beets will yield ton of tops. Taking
the latter figure as a basis for esti-
mate, the beet tops of the entire sec
tion amounted in value to $2,639. Com
binng all these values, the 1,l29 acres
of beets have produced a crop worth
$5S,715. or $52 an acre
A few illustrations of individual sue
cess will show that the returns to
many growers have been much above
the average. In the Pueblo district
Emil Klaus secured an average Of six
teen tons an acre from twelve acres,
and Thomas J. Jackson obtained an
equal result from eight and one-half
acres. Henry X. McHarg of Avondale
had twenty-sfx acres, which brought
him about $40. an acre. Mr.. McHarg
hired all his work done and still had
q profit of from $50 to $40 an acre.
In the Fowler district l. E. Kouns
had a yield of over thirteen tons an
acre from twenty-seven-acre field,
while John Dickinson, J. F. Quit, Jr.,
and Morgan Allison each had a yield
Of about sixteen tons to the acre
Their fields aggregated twenty-five
acres. A. E. Nortons crop was 1870
tons from 11.5 acres. while Charles
Browning obtained LOG tons from five
acres, or twenty-one tons an acre.
At Manzanola Hahenkratt Bros. Sc
cured an average yield of twelve tons
an acre from eighteen and one-half
acres and j. w. Setter little more
than seventeen tons an acre from 7.3
acres. w. A. Colt had in nine acres.
He delivered 166 tons to the factory.
besides feeding twenty-five tons to his
stock. making a little more than twen-
ty tons an acre.
The sugar company is now writing
contracts for the coming season and
every indication points to an increase