The Teton peak-chronicle., 1905-04-06
Regarding Sugar Beet Culture.


Fremont county, one of the leaders
of the house during the last two
sessions of the legislature, who is
avisitor in the capital, reports that
his section of the country is enjoy
ing prosperity. The outlook for
large crops in that section is very
encouraging.
The farmers there. he says, are
greatly interested in the raising of
sugar beets. The crop in that TO-
cality has been found to be pro-
fitable one for the farmers who
have gone to work intelligently
and Systematically to raise the
beets as they should be raised.
The acreage for the Sugar City fac
tory this year will be very nearly
If not quite double that of last sea-
son. Then between 1000 and
5000 acres were raised, and the CON-
pany has contracted for 5000 acres
to be put in this spring.
The crop in that section. Mr..
Moore states, has in some instances
run as low as eight tons to the
acre, but it has seldom been below
IL tons if the farmers have gone
about the work according to the
advice of the company.
In one or two instances the crop
has made as much as 25 tons to the
acre. He tells of one instance
where tract of over 100 acres was
put into beets by the company oper-
ating the factory, and averaged %
tons to the acre. a yield which
would have brought private raiser
practically 800 per acre for the
seasons crop.
Even figuring on a yield of IL
tons to the acre. Mr.. Moore says,
gives the farmer handsome profit,
as the company pays 81. so per ton,
without any test for saccharine
matter or other formality, making
the income $54 per acre. The Japs
who do the work in the fields,
thinning and hoeing the beets,
take the contract for 500 per acre
while an equal amount is ample
for all the other work, such as
plowing the ground and hauling
the crop to the factory or to the
railroad station. This work is all
done by whites, and gives the far
mer. if he or members of his own
family can do it, All opportunity to
make good wages in connection
with the prospect for good profits
in the marketing of the beets.
The Japs, according to Mr..
Moore, make good wages in the
beet fields, but insist on doing the
work by contract rather than by
the day. These contracts are for
500 an acre for IL ton crop and
additional pay for yield larger
than that. Many of the men, he
states. earn as much as SIS per day
during the season of labor, and
they spend their money freely.
He says he has been greatly sur
prised at the character of these Jap
hands. Instead of being penurious
and mean, they spend their money
quite literally. buying the best of
everything and paying for it in
gold. Should they run an account
with merchant, they are honest
enough to pay it promptly at the
end of the month.
Last year, he saws. it happened
in number of cases that Japs
working in the beet fields who had
been running accounts with the
merchants suddenly rushed off to
the far east to fight for the mikado,
leaving their accounts with friends
who remained in this country. In
every instance the account was
promptly settled at the end of the
month, the balance of the money
due the patriotic Jap who had re-
turned to his mother country to
fight being sent to him there to
help on the good cause. Some
times, Mr.. Moore says, the merch-
ants were unaware that the partic-
ular Jap they had trusted was not
still working in the fields until
after he had safely journeyed across
the Pacific and had donned the un-