Arizona republican., 1909-07-14
GLORIOUS
 DISCOVERY S|:'| | 1 Y Successful Production of.
 Sugar Beet Seed 's2 EFT AN AMERICAN MOn0PLY
Further Experiments Are Necessary But Investiga- tion to Date Decidedly Flattering- Tests of La fayette Myer.

If the experiments of Lafayette Myers. agriculturist of the South western Sugar and Land company, continue to result as successfully as they have this year, and there is every reason to expect they will, the coming of the sugar people into this section, it is now apparent. means a great deal more for the Salt river valley than anybody, even the sugar people themselves, ever <anticipated. It not only means all that the siic- cessful operation of a sugar factory means. which is $500 value to sugar beet lands. but it means an added seed by-product to the beet crop. of approximately s10O per acre. And that means a doubling of the value of all choice sugar beet land to ap- proximately s1,O00 per acre This is not written for boom" literature. but is strictly news story, for it deals with facts not made public until yesterday, but it ought to stiffen the market for sugar beet lands nevertheless.
 Up to this good hour the raising
 
 cessfully accomplished in America, though the beets for sugar grow in many places as well as anywhere on earth. Practically every pound of sugar beet seed planted in America. and there is annually a million pounds of it used, comes from a limited area in Germany, where the raising of it is made a speciality It's cost is about ten cents a pound, or $100.000 for a seasons planting of the American fields. Phoenix may well hope after two or three years of experiment. to pick this plum from Germany and the best part of it is that it will be an inexpensive by product, almost clear profit, the seed product being just that much added revenue to the sugar crop of each acre. It is almost too good to be true, but the present indications are that it is true and General Manager Davis last night was wearing a smile that almost equaled the one acquired by the successful working of the factory during its first week.
 A lengthy article in this paper some months ago, an interview with dn llllDOilti bl btSl Sttus AOlb llit reasons why the seed has never been successfully matured in this country. or if so it lacked in gerrnination. There was also recited how the in. dustry had been specialized by Ger man scientists. how results had been secured and how failure had resulted in this country Those things aR proved facts and need not be repeat ed at this time, more than to state that in Germany where seed is raised the beets produce no sugar and it takes two years to raise the seed. Selected seed only is planted and the beets grown are then selected, kept over winter in silo and planted in the spring as are seed onions. In maturing the seed crop the beet rots away, or at least loses its sugar content, so the only product is the seed and that comes once in two years.
 From the experiments of Mir. Myer there is now reason to hope that seed planted in this valley in No vember or earlier. will produce ma ture and perfect seed the following summer with a wasting of only from one-half to one per cent of saccharine matter. so the skilled farmer may raise a crop of seed and crop of sugar each year. ''on the same vine.' so to speak. It is estimated that beets will produce in the neighbor- hood of a ton to the acre, which at 10c pound means $100 per acre added income for the slight expense of A little more careful attention and the harvesting of the crop. It means the adding to the valley beet growers crop each year revenue eoual to a two years crop of the German seed growers.
 The discovery was in the first place practically thrust upon MT Mver The Arizona soil felt that the nsychoioeical moment had come to r,ake another star play and 1t made it acreape last November, having Tn mind only the securing of beets for tbe early beginning of the sugar campaign this year, and to ehcouraee tha tanners to early planting. when the November beets began 10 attaIn a fair size. with one accord they pc gan to shoot up the seed stalks- Mir. Myer and Mir. Davis were de- nressed. They didn't want seed, ytrhat they wanted was peets' ana they were embarrassed to see the determination of the beets to run to sesd They did not conceive that tha seed would be worth anything and thev feared that if they were allowed to on to seed they would deteriorate