The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-06
State of North Dakota Could Supply
The Entire Nation With Sugar

found great advantage i'm the growing
"f ir.t; in rotation with other crops.
w" cot Information that in twenty
wears the average yield of wheat in
creased from 20 to 80 bushels per
atre and barley increased from 50 to
81 and Y from 20 to rs. me of the
principal rcasons why tho average
yield "f Wheat in European countries
s" greatly exceeds ours is that in q 70.
tati"n system of f"ur or five years
they follow that root crop with the
mos, valuable grain crop, which is
wheat.
Europe had learned Tho value of the
beet and the northern continental ma
tions were making their own sugar
from it. and. by using il in rotation
with other crops. had been obtaining
surprisingly hie yields per acre. But
hero We h:td been backward i'm realiz-
ing its Importance. The year | came
into tho cabinet. the United States had
produced only $4,000 tons of beet
sugar.
managed to get puhlic-spirited
persons to contribute beet seed to he
Gin Investigations, and We found that
the two northern tiers of states had
th" most favorable conditions for beet
culture. We made elaborate INQUIRIES,
sent seed in all directions and had tho
hccts sent back to lis for tcStings.
At the same time We started encour-
aging beet growing in the north, WE
Began to stimulate tho growing of rice
in thc south. And | anticipated that
10y this time our farmers would he
growing enough of each of these pro-
dnct& for u needs. But while VIZ
grow today substantially as much rice
as is consumed in tine United States
: Ia mo -,t H,- ---.r
proportion of our sugar.
1T is more dificurt To educate oul
%farnncrs To beet raising. 1t is a more
complicated FORM Of activity. And in
the west II is always difficult to ret
sufficient labor. particularly for a cror
tina. needs some care.
Last wear our sugar hent crop not
ted a95,4o3 tons of sugar. worth S65..
$4,000. OF this the farmers received
about forty per cent. The beet tops
brought So an acre. amounting to ST.
%3S.47S. tho pulp Cleft after the sugar
is extracted from the bccts) was worth
s&.s"%.1oS and tho molasscs. a by
product of the sugar. $1,211.036. Sc
the total value OF the crop was ovei
So. 0oO. 600.
There is no more profitable cror
than the sugar beet. And incidentally,
from my experience i'm intensive
agriculture. ! know it has a wonder
full effect on tho soil. We are harvest
ing i@2.S26 acres of them now and
they average about 1910 tons from
tho acre. | had no difficulty. in my
day. in Iowa. i'm getting 20 tons to the
aero. AnI . considerable number of
"ur w have no difficulty in get
ting tho sln1c result today. Itut our
farmers generally are not sufficiently
educated in the sugar beet to attatu
this result. ol;r beet factory me
rairN on tire extraction uf sugar from
the beet as successfully and efficiently
a" the European factories. hut orr
farmers have not as yet shown the
sugar beet wisdom of the European
farmers.
our farmers can raise as many
t'eetS tn tho n"rc. as rich in elrcharine
matter. a. he farmers in Germany. rs
81 on rs they ha"r tho experience. Ifut
they must he encouraged. When We
have enough farmers growing IS to
q toms of sugar hcets Ia the acre ~
provide all the SUGAR We need. the in
'lStrN gill have become fairly jnde-
pendent Of tariffs. But at present
thcrc mon Ned some protection
against foreign tropical sugar. or tilel
Will h" wiped out think free trade
in sugar NOW. would prevent the build
ing of amy more beet sugar factories
and stop. perhaps, most of those al
ready built.