The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-02-14
CHIEF AeRIcuLTuRIsT OF SUGAR
COMPANY WRITES ARTICLE.
INTERESTING FIGURES
Tells Of Benefits to Farmer, Merchant
and Community In General Of Indus
tsy-comparisor With Other Crops
Made.

From Wednesdays Daily.
The following letter, relative to the
beet sugar industry in this section, has
been received by The Gazette from
James Scilly, chief agriculturist Of
the Billings Sugar company:
Editor The Gazette:-Having recently
been appointed chief agriculturist Of
the Billings Sugar company, l take
this opportunity of presenting the
sugar beet proposition as it affects the
farmer and the citizens in general.
First: What has the sugar factory
done for the Yellowstone valley and
~contributory territory, city, etc, as I
see it?
1t has placed an Investment of over
$1,000, 900, has created employment for
hundreds of men in the factory and
hundreds of others in the field; thus,
from a merchants standpoint Great
ing a market for his wares, from a
real estate mans standpoint a market
for his property, from a farmers
standpoint a better market for his pro-
duce Of all kinds. 1t has brought
numerous men to purchase land and
many others to rent, thus increasing
the value both in rental and selling
price Of every foot Of land in the
valley as well as in the towns.
The culture of sugar beets has COM
PEELED farmers to cultivate the soil as
it, has never ben cultivated before,
thus not only raising bountiful crops
of sugar beets, but increasing the
value of every other crop that is
grown on sugar beet land. / will add
: that from my personal experience, we
have barely commenced to feel this
effect. I predict that in the years to
come, by following up the intensive
farming that sugar beets call for, the
farmers will be surprised at the re-
suits. With u soil, climate and
water there is no height we cannot
aspire to, and before long l believe the
most skeptical and conservative will
have to admit that the sugar beet in
dustry has been the means of develop
ing one Of the most beautiful and rich
est valleys OF earth.
Second: Have farmers made a sue.
cess of the business?
After a careful investigation Of the
whole territory, l will say, Eyes. on
the WHOLE" but in some instances,
"No." Why have not all made a sue.
cess? Some have tried to grow beets
on land not as yet in condition to
give results. Some have planted their
crops entirely too late. Others have
been handicapped by insufficient labor.
Others have gone beyond their ca
pacity with limited experience. But
on the whole, the past season has
been very sccessful, and with the past
experience the coming year should
with better labor conditions, make all
successful.
Third: How do sugar beets com
pare with other crops?
The price OF beets is fixed so that 8
man with experience knows just what
to expect per acre Of his land, is sure
OF q market and cash for his crop. A
moderate yield OF IL tons per acre, al
$500 per ton, amounts to $4,000 pei
acre. The cost. including $1,000 rental
would be about $4,000. leaving $1,000
profit per, acre. reckoning the. cost a.
follows:
Rent Of land $1,000
Flowing Observation-Disclosures. 300
Preparing seed bed ............ 1.0t
planting ..................... 81
Cultiyating i've times .......:. 2.5(
Irrigating ............ Est
Pulling Observation-Disclosures. 2.5t
Il Iyo,,lirr 3%S @5L MgA #@1G&Eo@ slE II