The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1910-12-02

measured future to be worked upon
I in determining his post: n.
In a sparsely settled country
there is not enough labor that can
4 be modified in the beet fields at
thinning time, and in new states
where resources are rare, people
capable of thinning beets decline to
mobilize TIE work is hard and
tedious, and they think they can do
better. Importing Orientals to do
this work is to undo the social
fabric and to Japanese" America to
an extent that has set the people OF
the west against the Oriental.
In a densely populated country
the people might raise sugar beets
so far as the labor supply is con-
cerned, but the dense population has
to eat so many things besides sugar
that can not be brought from afar,
the low price for a ton of beets for
which payment viii be made in No
vember, looks low by comparison
with the prices paid for radishes
and lettuce that can be grown paid
for and forgotten by beet th inning
time Cabbage and tomatoes may
be growing where the radishes and
lettuce has been harvested and the
truck farmer banishes the idea Of
raising sugar beets. Therefore the
very thinly and the very thickly pop
ulated districts may need not be de-
pended upon to produce sugar, and
their supply of sweets may be ship
ped in, for sugar is not perishable
like radishse and lettuce, cabbage
and tomatoes, and it may be ship
ped from far away states or from
across the seas if we go on reyis-
ing the tariff downward
Some of the local advantages OF
having the beet sugar industry are
that it furnishes profitable employ
ment at thinning time and at the
time of pulling and topping, but az,
for the boys and girls doing this,
it is pretty hard job for those just
out of school, and not many of them
do it. In the fall they ought to be
in school, and are unless they go.
through the formality of showing
that they are obliged to earn tbs.
living and thus secure a permit to
approach the Thanksgiving season
with more money and in greater
ignorance and with less preparation
for citizenship ~
Sugar beets are sold at stated
price, $4.75 here in Eastern Idaho,
and the farmer knows from year to
year what he is going to receive per
ton. If he knows that he is going
to harvest ten tons or more he.
knows that he is going to make ex-
penses or better. If he knows that
he will raise fifteen or eighteen or
twenty tons he knows that he is on
the way to wealth. If he can so
till his soil that he can get up
to that high water mark approach
ing thirty tons then he has it COM
ing his way in plenty
He will need to fertilize his soil
and he can do this successfully by
raising stock on the land, feeding
the pulp Som the factory and in
turn making a profit upon his stock,
granting, of course, that he raises.
good breeds and not scrubs.
The soil in this valley is as good
as can be found for ,beets, the eli
mate hot enough and cold enough. :
The Utah-Idaho Sugar company does
freely what it can to educate the
people in beet culture and to make
1t easy to get the beets on the cars.
The Oregon Short Line does its.
share to supply rolling stock and
low rates for moving the crops. In
fact both companies have poured out
treasure like water in anticipation
OF making beets a great staple crop
IN this valley, and unless farmers
raise the beets much of these ex--
pendltures will have been in vain.
Ihere are days of disbursement
Tor captains of industry who go on
great sacrifice to stockholders to
the proper conditions under
which the masses may develop a.
great lnductry to their own adyan--
age. and there are periods when it
looks as If the advance guard stood
alone and stood to lose. but when
me history of the upper Snake river
sdlley is written some twenty years;
rom now it may be said. that DUR
hg the first decade of the new CEN
ury the Introduction of the beet
sugar industry was marked by lack
,! response on the part of the hardy
,ioheers VINO had empires and de-
lnquent taxes in their heads ~
ven by the Carey act promoters
Vho sought to become nabobs bv
ana and canal development bn+ IN
ne hnal analysis of the situation
lelther the pioneers nor the nro-
aoter were listened to so much as
ne voice OF the man who knew how
M was willing to spread manure
pom the field and plow deem to
alse some sugar beets each year.
? rotate his crops, to raise the fin
s. breeds of stock, to treat all the
hlmals as gently and as kindly as
they were members of the family
,,.l, 10 IND pleasure at all times in
unlng only so much as he could
lrm intensiyely, feeding the soil as.
areluily to keep it strong ana
saithy as he would a yearling colt.
IN that period the sugar beet
III be one of the main spokes in
e Wheel, and the wheel will be a
wv 'n'H