The Holly chieftain., 1907-01-11
Silo or Quit Growing?

papers ndNe DtcH luil VI SoliiiSt
between the beet growers of the
northern part OF TIL. state and the
Great Western Sugar company.
The Great Western Sugar COM
rany is controlled by the same in
terests that control the American
Sugar Refining company of New
York, which company is commonly
known as the sugar trust.
The differences existing between
the farmers and the factories, to judge
from the accounts in the papers, seem
to grow out OF the necessity for 81
loing Heretofore the northern fac
tories have taken bcets from the
farmers as fast as the farmer wished
to deliver them, or 10 put it better,
as fast as cars could be supplied by
the railroad companies, under a con-
tract paying $500 per ton for beets
showing not less than IS per cent
sugar contcnt-note the ratio. The
beets were then put into great piles
which frozc, thawed and rotted. caus-
ing a loss to the factories which was
almost inestimablc.
This has been going on for years
until the factories found it was I'M
possible to continue doing business
on these lines, and this year they sub
mitted to the farmers two contracts
for growing beets; the first providing
that one-quarter of the crop should
be sliced for which the factories
|. should pay $3.50 per ton, and the T rest
of the crop should not be sliced and
the factories should pay $500 per
ton: the other contract provided that
the farmer should receive $475 per
ton for his beets without siloing.
The Association OF Beetgrowcrs
had meeting when they heard that
such contract was to be submitted
and unanimously decided that under
no circumstances would they silo.
The management OF the factories
having found it was impossible to
operate their factories with proht
without having bees sliced, by the
farmer, stated that ii the bcets were
not sliced the factories would be
closed, because they would prefer
not to operate the factories than TO
operate them at loss, and SO the
fight goes merrily on, the factories
refusing to sign contracts with the
farmers unless the farmers sliced
their bcets, and the farmers refusing
to sign contracts with the factories
il they have to silo.
The last reports in the Denver pa
pers indicate that the farmers have
decided generally to accept the con-
tract offered by the sugar compan-
les
Report also comes to us, which
seems to be well authenticated, from
Garden City, that while the siloing
clause was put IN the company
contract there, the factory undertook
to carry in its bins large quantity
of beets. The bcets heated and made
total loss to the factory of about
10000 tons OF beetcs, which at $500
per ton will be loss OF 100000.
As far as the history of the beet
business goes the theory of carrying
big. crop without siloing has been
adyocatted by different people at diff
ferent times in different localities,
but reports from all of the localities
where this has been attempted has
proven that the beet crop cannot be
grown with profit to the factory, and
therefore with profit to the farmer,
unless the crop is sliced by the farm
cr
The Arkansas valley has accepted
this. condition from the first and
much OF tile success OF the growing
OF bccts in the Arkansas valley has
! been the result OF the appreciation
OF the fact by the farmer that it is
| necessary for the farmer to silo
o-tion of lis cro".