Arizona republican., 1910-06-03
BENEFITS DERIVED FROM
 SUGAR BEET CULTURE
rom page I)

SUGAR BEEl CULlURE
 Continued rom page eI)
 of beets. has made stock feeding a very good business There is no place on earth where the beet industry has advanced a community so greatly as in this valley. There are about a mil lion acres in the Arkansas valley suit able for raising sugar beetS. It IS the best for their culture because of the bright sunshine and the excellent sys- tenn of irrigation. There are six fac tories in this valley at present. If properly cultivated, sufficient beets could be produced to supply fifty fac tories of d thousand tons capacity. Fifty factories would increase the population and the value of land eight times as many as six did. The ad vancement of the general social and indutsrial prosperity in this communi- ty is due to the systematic culture of sugar beets.
 CARROLL WIGHTS ESSAY.
 most complex system is our American social state: but although every man does his part and although every class of labor is in way essen tial. the farmer is by far the most inn portant So great are his producing powers that should we at any time be cut off from intercourse with the rest of the world, we could with comfort exist independently. In fact. our far mers have such advantages that they fail to realize what they might do: yes. often what they ought to do There is not the slightest doubt but what they should raise those crops which we most need. and which at the same time will wield the best returas with the least expenditure of natural re- sources. Such product is the sugar beet.
 We are the greatest sugar consum- ing nation. on earth; our average an nual per capita consumption being eighty pounds of this vast amount. the value of which is greater than that of all the wheat exported from this country. we produce less than one seventh. Were we so disposed. we might in this valley raise nearly half of what the nation needs. There arc some, no doubt. who. rather than try anything new. would be content for foreign nations to produce our sugar; but such a spirit is not in harmony with American ideas-we want no make shift. we want the very best
 Now the sugar beet may be profit ably raised from one end of the coun- try to the other. and when properly cultivated the profits to all concerned can not be surpassed by those of any other crop.
 Under the most favorable conditions the sugar beet made it's advent into the Arkansas valley, which is the ideal place for beet culture, through the Oxnards building the plant at Rocky Ford. A great. broad. fertile valley, in the most desirable of eli mates and under an extensive system of irrigation. it would indeed be dif- ficult to imagine a better place for the industry.
 First, there came the experimental stage. A few progressive farmers planted small patches and gave them the best of care; the results were more than pleasing Factories were built, and in but few seasons people bought and paid for farms with the hitherto unheard of profits derived from their culture. The country went beet crazy and every available acre was planted to this crop without the least regard to method: of course, a reaction ensued. Men wondered why they were not successful, and many turned away from the industry in disgust.
 The sugar beet is a garden crop and must be cultivated accordingly. We may scratch over the surface, scatter the seed broadcast. and har- vest a poor crop of wheat not so with the beet It's culture is a science "a science which will be mastered in all it's details by our intelligent farmers if they will only listen to the sugar company's agriculturists. and with their practical advice com bine d little common sense. Even school boy should know better than to think he can SOW seed on unpre- pared. unfertilized soil, let the weeds outgrow the beets. and then expect to pay off the mortgage with the profits
 Practically all of the tillable land in the country has been opened up, and future generations are going to depend upon the scientific cultiva- ton of the soil for their food. The farming land of this country. the most of which was originally very fertile. has indeed been abused. One farmer gets control of large tract (enough for a whole European settle ment), and proceeds to get what he can out of it with the least expendi- ture of money and energy. No at tention is paid to the effect upon the soil. and in many cases it-is convert cd intn a barren waste If annears