The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-14

for one ton of beets containing IL per
cent of sugar, in Michigan. s516. Upon
/ the assumption that the factory is able
to extract from this ton Of beets 200
pounds Of sugar, the farmer receives
25S cents per pound for the sugar still
IN the beets. in the shed, upon which
all labor and factory expense must be
expended.
The duty on raw sugar polarizing %
degrees is sl6S12 per 100 pounds. The
cost duty paid. is about 80 cents per
pound.
1t is estimated that in 1910. the
amount Of sugar required for consume
ton in the United States, above that
produced from homegrown cane, will
be 5000 600 tons
Europe. with smaller available beet
area produced in 1900 5,95O,OOO tons of
beet sugar
To produce 100000 tons of beet sugar
annually would require 500 plants. each
having a daily capacity of 500 tons.
Maintaining Soil Fertility.
4 New Mexico bulletin notes that
Hfteen-ton crop Of beets is considerably
mOfe eXhaUsting 10 the soil than 2
thlrty-bushel crop of wheat. The most
marked difference is in the cast of tbe
potash, the beet removing more than
three and oEe-half times as much as
the wheat. Sugar beets are very vo-
Taclous potash feeders, and in this
plant food, the soils of the sen1i-arid
west nave a decided advantage over the
soils Of the eastern states. Our soils
as rule. are abundanUy supplied with
potash. and this supply kept I'D. 10
very large extent. by the potash car
ried in the irrigating waters.
fhcre is more pDfzg f added 70 an
acre IN irrisating with the water of the
Rlo Grande, for example. than would
be removed by a fifteen-ton croo of
beets-' In bulletin No. 70 of the New
Mexico st ition, il was estimated that
IN each foot of muddy Rio Grande
water suppl ed 10 an acre OF land there
would be 5l5 pounds Of potash IL > OF
What has been said in regard to pot
ash is also true. in lesser degree. in re-
gard to nitrogen and phosphoric acid;
at least in the case Of water carving
as large an amount Of sediment. as that
of the Rio Grsnde.
In the eastern states where no irri-
eating water is used. the only source
for supplying the drain on potash and
phosphoric acid s fertilizers. which. at
best. are very expensive. The difference
between profit and loss i'm cropping
often lies in the expense of fertilizers
Sugar beets. being a very exhaust
ing crop. should not be grown success
slVely. but should be one Of rotation
In this way 1t is also possible to Sc
cure most or all the nitrogen needed
from the atmosphere, which contains
an unlimited supply of that element.
but in a form not available to such
plants as sugar beets. The leguminous
plants. however. such as alfalfa and
peas, have the power Of taking nitro
gen directly from the atmosphere. so
thai by plowing under such crops the
supply OF nitrogen IN the soil may be
very materially increased. II is unsual-
~ considered best not to let beets di-
rectly follow the soiling crop. but TO
grow grain crop between the blowing
under of the soiling crop and the grow
ing of the beets. "-Goss.
Preparation of Land.
Good sugar beets can be grown on a
great variety of soils. Any soil that
viii produce good yields of corn. wheat
or potatoes, may be expected to pro-
duce good beets. Probably the hes.
soil for sugar beets IS a rich. mellow,
sandy loan Sandy loam is in work
able condition longer than most other
soils: and beets must be worked fire.
quertly and deeply. Sandy loan also
offers less resistance to the downward
growth of the roots, a condition that
gives smooth, uhbranched roots nearer
the IDEAL type. If the ground is hard |
and compact, the beet does not grow
downward in one long tapering tuber !
but makes most OF its growth near to |
or above the surface of the ground, |
sending out several irregular branch |
roots. This form of beet not only con-
tains less sugar. but is very difficult /
to clean and work UP.
Ground intended for beets should be |
stirred to q depth of twelve or eighteen |
inches. This Is usually done with a |
subsoil pillow. For small experimental |
plots, the subsoil may be loosened by /
deep spading. When the crop IS to be 1
grown on a large scale ror the facto- |
ries. the land is deeply ploWed in the |
fall and Teplowed and SUBSIDIZED in in |
TIE spring.