St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-08-28
BIG PROFITS IN BETS
Rapid Growth of Beet Sugar
Manufacture Throughout
the United States.
WHY FARMERS FAVOR BETS
Conditions Under Which Beets Are
Profitable-Big Earning Capacity
ola Small Farm-Importance
i of Reservoir Water.

Perhaps some reader of this paper
would like to engage Ill the growinr
of sugar beets The first thing to do
Is, OF course, to arrange for market.
The market is the sugar factory. Any
one with money to the amount of half
million to two million dollars can
build and equip sugar factory.
When tins is done it is time to put in
the beet crop.
But the builders of beet sugar fac
tories are not so accommodating as
one would sometimes like to have
them. They have their own notions
about the location of factory and are
most apt to listen to the dulcet voice
of some ambitious community In
well irrigated part of thecountry. In
the region north of Denver, Colorado,
the factories are so numerous as to
be only 10 miles apart.
The growth of the beet sugar indus
try is almost without parallel In the
industrial history of the country.
From 1902 to 1906 the beet sugar pro-
duction in the United States increased
from f94,463 tons to 4oo,010 tons, while
there was a falling off in cane sugar
production In Louisiana and Texas.
The market for sugar Is world wide,
the prices good and the room for
growth abundant. Several additional
factories are at this moment under
consideration in Colorado which now
leads all the states in this industry.
OF the slxty-three factories in opera.
ton in the United States in 1906, fif-
teen were In Colorado.
In Boulder county, near Denver, In
1909 1850 tons of beets were grown
averaging Is to IT tons to the acre.
The total cost Of growing an acre Of
sugar beets is itemized as follows by
an authority on that subject, Mr.. f.
ID. Coburn: Flowing, $1.0O; seed, 20
pounds, $500; planting, 30 cents;
punching and thinning, $500: hoeing
and cultivating, $1,000; harvesting and
topping, $3.50; interest on land, irri-
cation, hauling and general charge,
$3.50; total, $3.50. The net profit on
IL tons to the acre at S. ton is
therefore, $4750. One grower re-
ported a net profit Of $3.50 an acre
in 1906. The oeet pulp after the sugar
is extracted has high value as feed
for stock. With such success it does
not take long to pay for the best
lands.
One reason for the success with
sugar beets in Colorado is the avail
able supply of reservoir water for late
irrigation. In many regions there are
no reservoirs, the land being irrigated
directly from the streams which af-
ford but scant supply as the season
advances. Lack Of water in July
and August causes the early maturity
of crops and great loss In tonnage
MS well as in value. Prospective
profits disappear with the whitening Of
the crop which must surely result I'M
less the water supply is adequate.
Colorado has spent millions of dollars
on reservoirs to impound the food
waters of spring and early summer
and is spending millions more when
will insure the continued success OF
growing sugar beets and a great va
riety of other crops which require
irrigation.
The largest Of the reservoir sys-
tens is that which is now in the max
ing Just north Of Denver. The
system will be one of the most perfect
in the world and the land ultimately
win become the most valuable. water
rights for ten acres which now sell
for $500 will gradually increase so as
TO be worth several times that price.
An advantage in sugar beet culture
Is that the crop may be made one OF
several crops desirable in diversified
agriculture. 1t is wise to adopt
method of crop rotation. such as VIII
require about thesam amount OF lapor
on the farm each year. Tne most
successful growers are those VINO
maintain the fertility Of their lands by
the we'll known and well tried methods
of crop rotation. The new lands, such
as are now being opened under the ex-
tension of irrigation near Denver, sun
retain their original wealth OF plant
foods end will not show exhaustion
until they have borne many crops
Such lands will pay for themselves
several times over before giving warn
ing of their waning strength by thelr
reduced yields. "a.
with such liberal margin OF prom
for the grower and the manufactured
as beet culture and sugar making no"
afford the beet sugar industry Is de-
stined to grow and expand for years
"a come. The growing of beets has De
come one Of the permanent industries
80 tbe farm in irrigated regions, whlie
the farmer always has the alternative
Of giving his land over to some otnel
nrofitable crop when 1t appears adVls-
ohla r. do so. The safety of the pusi
ness appeals strongly to the cautious
business man and the manufacturers
no longer have difficulty in securina
Tho desired acreage for the successful