The Greeley tribune., 1911-12-14


by Miss Vance. a national WORKER
Iof the association.
The association has recently been
given as their new headquarters, the
old art rooms in the main building
of the school. A gift Of 200 chairs
for the rooms from DR.. 2. K. Snyder
and a beautiful picture from the Chi
Alpha Thete sorority has been much
appreciated.
sATIRICUS SUGARS THE BEET
For the Tribune:
You have of late devoted consid-
cradle space in your columns to an
exposition of the great advantages
of the beet sugar industry to this
section of the country. In particu
lar you have both editorially and
through more or less interested
sources undertaken to show the ad
vantages of beet cultivation to the
farmers and the agricultural indus
try generally l think 1t Is time
something was said in opposition to
that rosy view of the situation.
Permit, then, your venerable Uncle
Quintus Curtius Satiricus to expose
to view the reverse side OF this
wonderfully beneficent Achilles
shield that has hitherto for several
years supposedly warded on all dan
ger to this community and. as well,
saved us farmers from total bank
ruptcy in the potato failure of the
present season. You named on your
own account recently in itemizing
the great advantages of beet cult
vation to the farmers, the "kind-
| liness", l think that was the exact
expression you used, of the sugar
beet to all other crops used in rota-
tion with it. Now l wouldn't hurt
the feelings of the Tribune stan for
anything in the world, and 1 hope
therefore you will take it kindly"
when l say that that statement ac-
,tually made us all laugh, ana
want you to fully understand when
l say that, that many of US have
cracked lips.
Again, Mr.. Edgell, manager of
the beet sugar factory, was good
enough to inform US poor benighteo
farmers who may in some respects
not be over pleased with the beet
growing industry, that sugar beets
increase the fertility of the soil
through the physical action they
exert upon it, Now / should put
that in another way. should say
Through the mental hocuspocus
Mr.. Edgell is trying to impose up
on u.s.. Physical action. fiddle
sticks; the physical action with
which us farmers are most familiar
is seen when after heavy crop of
beets we find ourselves blowing up
up solid chunks OF earth all over
the field varying in size from nail
keg to a church pulpit and which
renders it well nigh impossible to
mt the soil for any other crop for
the following season. Then follows
lot of supposedly valuable in for
nation about NEARLY an ounce to
the plant" of little rootlets that
break of in digging and are left
there to rot and enrich the soil.
Just think of enriching the soil by
leaving in it one ounce of the six
to ten pound beet that has been
sapping the earth of just that much
fertility during the summer. And
summing up this aspect Of the cues
tion at last he adds, but the true
value of this industry lies in It's in
valuable enects on the yield of other
crops Ihat. Mr.. Editor, does not
make us laugh, it simply makes us
tired, dog tired; for if you don't
knew II, WE know that the sugar
beet is robber of the soil. the
sIeatest cormorant in fact Of any
plant known to this section NJ Tho
state. Why, sir, a dissipated vorth,s
crop of wild oats is not noro
undermining to after life, moral md
mental stamina and phvsicai til
lty, than is the growth of tha.a
great crops of beets in the aftar AZ
pletion of the soil | know og M
crop in all my experience tb7t viii
compare with it except rabaatad
crops of thickly sown corn 80
ior stock feeding purposes
Now let me make another s....
heht winch may have escaped NJ
EogelFs observation but v.bioh =.
JUST as well known to US farnara
as that two and two makps 80.
Ahd mat Is that whereas tho naxt
eIop or wheat following two .-ons
Vi potatoes Will average Hftaon =.
twenty nushels better than tb,t m
any ground where crop of ,yhoat
ioiio"eu small grain of any so-, or
en corn, on the other hand o,
eyed man in an auto Foirg 80,
mlies an hour can see the H1o
men IN any farm where stnrt.S
low wheat stalks on one side faf,ow
.ne Two crops OF beets, merrss let
tne. tne other where wheat folI5weJ n M
o,dan mere are other disadvantagss IN.
cloent to beet cultivate, III
must De obviated or oyerco,5a n'or
we snail, fguratively speatlat' OF o.
~ ~ tne devil in the near - ~
na nnrough dry winters and grs.. LIE hnn
pers, and through the prss1 h0p