Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-12-23
STUDY TYPE AND CULTURE.
To Win the Dollars Sugar Beet
Growers Must Use Head as
Well as Hands,


Well as Hands.
written for the Beet Sugar Ga
zette by Prof. w. H. Olin.)
When the sugar beet industry be-
came an important one i'll Colorado,
the farmer felt that this crop could
and should be grown much like 9TH
er root crops-for tonnage and size.
Sugar beets weighing from IL to
I6 pounds were not uncommon and
many of our best sugar beet farmers
felt that it was working a hardship
and monetary loss on them when
field superointendents urged closer
thinning and the growing of smaller
beets. This year. 1910, all the sixteen
Colorado factories adopted the slid
ing scale, paying for the beets ac-
cordinp to the sugar content. While
some farmers objected and others
even planted other crops in prefer
cnce to sugar bects. the farmers who
grew the crop found that this method
of remuneration gave them an equit.
able return for good farming and
nearly all will now agree that the
care full beet farmer receives pay Tor
his good farming and will not desire
to return to the fiat rate method OF
payment.
Believing that the matter of shape
and size of sugar beets would be an
interesting point to emphasize in the
Land Show at Chicago, the writer
prevailed upon the Denver Laramie
Realty Company to offer suitable
prize for the FIVE best shaped sugar
number at their Milliken Day just be-
fore the opening of the Chicago Land
| Show. The beets were judged by
Field Superintendent Sieman, who
has supervision for the Great Western
Sugar Company, OF the beets grown
along the d. L. & N. w. railway,
from Wattenberg to Greeley.
|. Beets were brought of various
shapes and sizes, according to the in
| dividual Judgment of the grower. 1t
was the most interesting district
| showing that the writer has ever seen.
Mr.. Sieman selected the type which
lbs experience and Judgment told
him had both quantity of sugar con-
| farmers felt that tfG larger beets
shown had just as high a sugar per
cent and would yield n greater ton
mage per acre. To settle this point
the writer. through the courtesy of
| Mr.. Hugh Scilley. manager of the
Lovcland (Colo) factory, had the
first and second premium beets. to-
gether with two selections by certain
Millikcn farmers, analysed.
The first premium beet. carrying
100 per cent sugar weighed 1 pounds,
and. was n symmetrical beet with the
German or sugar twist in evil
evidence. The second premium beet
carried smaller per cent of sugar
and weighed ; 81 pounds, and while
it had a good form and showed a
l -N1I ,r,attreI aud
therefore. scaled a lower sugar con-
tent.
The two larger bcets selected by
certain farmers as bcets they wished
| analyzcd. are bcets which gave a low
cr per cent. verifying Mr.. Sicman's
| judgment. The 1876 per cent beet
weighed 8 pounds and the Ia per
| cent beet 81 pounds. Both seem
ingly were well matured bects. the
grower of the first premium bects was
| Charles Won Rosenberg. who prev
iously had won first premium at the
| Weld county fair. on good quality
bcets. He told the writer his beets
were running around IS to 20 tons
per acre in yield. so this bears out
/ Mr.. Sicman's judgment in both tom
mage and per cent of sugar.
| Weld county has three sugar fac
tories and grows approximately 3o,-
| 900 acres of sugar bcets each year.
At the Interstate fair in Denver this
last season. prizes were offered for
the best shaped sugar beet; for the
| five best small bcets and for the FIVE
best large bects. Weld county took
all three blue ribbons in a statewide
contest.
We believe that study OF type
and culture and following the suggcs-
tions of the field superintendent will
increase sugar content, augment ton
Image and give double profit to every
uyar beet grower. Let us realize
that the one who farms the crop for
profit must use his head as well as
his hands. that brain as well as Drawn
| wins dollars in growing this crop.
Colorado today is the greatest SUI
gar producing state in the union and
| we want to see her good farmers stay
| 1t the head and win dollars for them
| selves. rs well as credit for our cen
| tcnnial state. Sugar beet farming en-
hanccs the value OF all other farming.
| for the successful beet farmer is a
thorough farmer and thereby learns
the lesson OF care and thoroughness
that enables him to unconsciously do
better farming with every crop he
| grows.