The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-12-05
FOR 4 BEET SUGAR FACTORY.
Residents Of the Milk River Valley Will
Develop \ New Industry.

According to the news brought from
the Milk FLYER valley by \. II. Reser,
Of Chinook. the production Of beet
sugar will soon become a new and i'm.
portant industry in northern Montana.
4 large party of residents of the Milk
river valley recently went to Billings
TO personally inspect the result of
sugar beet raising in that part of
Montana, and saw sufficient TO on.
vince them that no other farm crop
that can be raised in this section
yields anything like the profits de.
rived from sugar beet culture. The
members Of the delegation returned to
their homes with the determination TO
secure the location of a beet sugar
factory In the Milk river valley at as
early a date as possible, each Of the
excursionists becoming an ardent
worker on behalf Of the enterprise.
Mr.. Reser, who was a member Of the
party that went TO Billings. speaks
most enthusiastically of the prospects
encouraged by what was seen in the
Yellowstone country. The soil couci-
tions OF the Milk river valley, ia his
opinion, are far superior TO those of
the country adjacent to Billings, and
should result in still greater success
for a beet sugar enterprise than has
been attained in the Yellowstone. In
the latter locality an average crop of
fully fifteen tons per acre has been
raised the past season, for which the
farmers received $500 per ton de-
livered at the factory or at their local
receiving station. The net profits in
some cases exceed the original pur.
chase price of the land.
The sugar company that offers to
build a factory makes it a condition
that 5000 acres Of land within a Ger
tain area be devoted to sugar beets,
the farmers in the prescribed locality
entering into contracts to guilty ate ar
acreage Of that aggregate extent. A
large number of Milk river rancher.
have expressed their readiness to
pledge a liberal acreage for this crol
as soon as necessary, and it is be
lieved the required area will soon bt
listed as subject to sugar beet culture
at any time desired.
A feature of this industry at Bill
llngs and other sugar factory loca
tons that will benefit the livestock 10
dustry, is the use OF beet pulp fol
stock feeding purposes. 1t is sold a
Billings at 30 or 10 cents q ton, which
amount is said TO have a foo6 valu,
equal to about 81 so worth of cor,
or alfalfa. Fed in conjunction with
= the usual forage crops, it is a valua
BILE Item in preparing livestock fol
market.
A sugar beet growers associatio,
was organized at Chinook last week
to push things along, the followins
being its temporary officers: a. H
, Reser, president: VIM. r. Hensen
, ice.president: A. w. Ziebarth, secre
tary, and Thomas O'Hanlon, treas
urer, with Messrs. Clarkson, Paxton
and Kremer as an executive com
mittee. In order to increase the acre
age to be devoted to sugar beets, Mr.
Reser and several other members @
the association have agreed to give
free use OF certain areas Of their land
for tive years, to parties who viii
agree to cultivate it and assist 10 en-,
larging the sugar beet crop Of IN.
Milk river valley.
. "A recent press dispatch from Wav
erly, Iowa, may be of interest in thi.
connection, its substance being as fol
lows:
The first loads of sugar beets evcl
marketed in Iowa were brought here
The harvesting of an immense crop 0
: over 5000 acres has begun. All of i
2 will be shipped to the Carver Couurl
Sugar company Of Chaska, MINI.
Basing the estimate upon the mum
Der of tons marketed by individual
. growers and the extent of ground trou
I which the beets were harvested, it car
: be stated with assurance that the aver
: age yield per acre will be abou, four
u teen ton. after the tare has been ue
. Quoted. At d flat rate of 81 per ton
which the company is paying, Til,
, makes "a yrOss income of about $40 ,el
, acre. Syndicates of business men va,
have been put to extreme expense i,
! raising the crop because they Of ue
cessi,y were compelled TO hire al
their help, state that the average ex
pense Of cultiv ating, harvesting an(
marketing the crop is about $50 pei
acre. The net income t o them, there
. fore, will be about $40 per acre.
Many of the farmers have not hat
the item of hired help to pay becau.,