The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1914-03-12
which beets can be grown without IT.

fornia, the successful commercial pro
duction of sugar beets il Utah and Col.
orado has opened new and extensive
field. What has taken place IN these
states is being rapidly duplicated n
Idaho, a beginning has been made IN
Montana. and the time is undoubtedly
coming when beets will be grown in
Wyoming and probably throughout the
whole arid region.
The northern parts OF our eastern
and middle states and the states OF
Oregon and Washington have AT least
an equal chance for the successful pro
duction of beet sugar with the fields OF
Germany and France. The irriga bic
parts of the great southwest have ad-
vautages of soil and climate which
will enable them to enter into compe-
tition in the production of beet sugar.
The high cost of good irrig cation rem
ders it imperative that the areas under
culture be devoted to q crop which Is
capable of producing d more valuable
yield than is afforded by cereal culture.
If a net profit OF from SO to $50 per
acre can be secured, from 500 10 $500
per acre can be paid for the lana. t
is estimated that nearly S0ou,OyO
ceres of land in the arid regions OF
the United States may eventually be
irrigated, being nearly one fifth Of the
total area. OF this area perhaps 10
per cent is capable of easy and speedy
irrigation Farmers who raise beets
for a sugar factory are not left entire
ly to their own resources In growing
the crop They enter into a contract
with the factory management which
outlines the methods to be employed.
Then the factory employs an agrieul-
tural superintendent and corps OF
assistants whose duty IL is TO go among
the growers giving instructions and
suggestions regarding the selection and
preparation Of the soil, planting, cult
walton, time Of harvesting. etc. These
men are Of course well Informed on all
phases of beet culture, and they are
usually able to make valuable sugges.
tons in regard to the cultivation of
other crops grown In rota ton with
beets. Their instructions and infu-
ence therefore tend to improve the
farm practice Of communities in which
sugar beets are grown.
The sugar beet does not require a
particular kind of soil for its proper
production. In general soils are de-
scribed for practical purposes as
clayey, sandy, loamy or alluvial soils.
All of these soils will produce beets.
The black prairie soils also have been
found. with proper cultivation, to pro-
duce excellent beets.
New land should not be selected to
grow sugar beets. for the crop is not q
good retainer of soils. And especial
~ to be avoided is new land contain
ing decaying vegetable matter. which
produces only rank growth with low
sugar content. Preferably the most
productive land on the farm should be
used. such a soil as will yield a good
crop of Indian corn. wheat or pota-
toes. The soil should neither be so
compact as to interfere with cultiva
ton TO depth of ten or twelve inches
nor have tendency to bake hard
Happily in most American soils there
is still sufficient natural fertility to
produce good crop of sugar beets.
whereas In the soils Of Europe. where
sugar beets have been grown for years
the farmers must depend on fertilizers
to insure remunerative crop
Every farmer should understand that
he cannot continuously grow any crop
on the same ground and secure maxi
10 al.
falfa, corn or small grains.
A good scheme of rotation is first
wheat, then beets, then clover for two
years, the last crop being plowed un-
der; then potatoes, wheat and beets in
the order mentioned. If alfalfa can be
grown 1t should be included in the ro
tation of crops; also in some sections
potatoes do we'll in the rotation. Beets
do well after small grain crops. be-
cause these, being harvested early,
leave the ground ready for late autumn
blowing, an important point in success
ful beet culture.
The field In which beets are to be
planted should be selected and plowed
in the late autumn TO the depth Of at
ledSl ulIlS lUCueS. As d rule, tue plOW
In each furrow should be followed by
subsoiler, which will loosen the soil
TO the depth Of six or seven inches
more.
Hand planting Of the seed may be
practiced when very small plat is to
be put in beets, but where a field EN-
bracing an acre or more is to be plant
ed it is not convenient In such cases
planting by drill is best
The beets should be covered to 4
depth Of one-half inch to two inches.
according to the state of the soil.
In the matter of space between rows
there is considerable variation In
some cases the rows are made only
sixteen inches apart and in others as
wide as twenty-eight inches.
The cost of growing an acre of beets
depends on so many varying factors as
to render it impossible to give an esti-
mate which is reliab bic for every local.
ity.
1t Is probable that the actual cost to
our farmers for the first few years Of
the beet industry did not exceed S25 to
nd II f1I