The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-04-23
NEBRASKAFARMERS
PROFIT. FROM BEETS
Sugar PFoductlon Is Transform
- ing Arid West Into Rich
Agricultural District

o.. cent issues to an account Of the prog
ress Of beet sugar production in the
North Platte Valley. i I
1t gives list Of eighty.three farmers
who received an aggregate OF over
S3U6,0O for their 1914 beet crops.
The total area planted to this crop
In Scottsbluff County was 20,929 acres
and the total sum paid by the factory
for beets was 81 ,424,O00, or an average
OF 1907 tons per acre. The average
beet area per farm was forty one acres.
Hsets Produce Prosperity 4-.....t
Jesse A. Smith, writing his brother,
Jared O. Smith Of this city, states that
the development Of the sugar beet in
Z dustry since 1909 has transformed
Scottsbluff County from one of the
poorest to the richest county In Ne.
braska, and Nebraska now stands fifth
in agricultural production in the United
States. ,.-.sN -..ift& 4, 49,. .s Z
Mr.. Smith writes as follows:
Last year the growers received
$3.50 per ton for beets delivered ut the
factory, or at sidings on the railroad
where dumps are located. For such
beets as were sliced, or piled in the
field covered with dirt and kept until
the factory could use them, an extra
payment Of fifty cents was made. D., d,
lone Beets Sliced
1.-THE contracts with the grower re-
duire that he silo certain per cent OF
the crop. The contracts also provide
or such was formerly the ease, mat the
company was not required to accept
beets testing less than l2 per cent OF
sugar, but beets have never been re
= Ia ~ "
1.-THE capacity Of the factory is about
1890 tons per day of twenty four hours
They run continuously from the timt
glicing begins, about October l last
year, until the entire crop is turned
into sugar and by-products, which arr
beet pulp and molasses, q.
The Contract Basis .... t.. r.
Most of the beet growers contract
with laborers to do the hand work
which includes thinning, wedding, hoe
ing and topping. The grower does al
of the team work and the irrigating
twenty dollars per acre is paid Tor thu
hand work, which is mainly done b,
Russians and japanese, the former be
ing of German descent and speaking
&c. man.
MANY of the Russian beet worker
live in Lincoln, go to the beet fields II
the spring and return here for the win
ter, Men, women and children work Il
the felds. a.. .a...
'Quite number of Russians an'
japanese rent land and raise beets OF
their own account. Most Of the plant
ing is done in May. The greater par
of the harvesting is in October and No
vemher The time of planting and har
vesting varies somewhat as the season
differ. ,...
''Boct raising has proved very profit
able to good farmers who have LAM
suited to this crop, Three years in sue
cossion is about as long as beets ar
usually raised on the same ground, un
less fertilizer is used, in which case
longer period of successive crops ma.
be profitable. 80.
Alfalfa, wheat, oats, rye, barle
and potatoes are the principal crop
raised, III rotation with beets.
Beets and Cattle
"Phe valley is now a great stock
feeding district Alfalfa, beets, bee
tops, beet pulp and molasses are a.
used in feeding. Corn is also fed, bu
the quantity used is not great.
Cattle, Sheep and lambs are shippe
into the valley and fed for market
About 250,00O. sheep were fed this las
season and more than that the seaso
before. The sugar company feeds cal
tie extensively. each year, and there ar
many others that feed cattle. Hogs ar
raised extensively on alfalfa pasture
with some corn and other grain.
"Unlcss sugar drops to a lower pric
than now seems probable, rather eI
pect that the factory win try operatin
alter sugar is on the free list. IL Sc
they will undoubtedly cut the price o
eets. | am satisfied that a consider
able acreage can be contracted for a
FIVE dollars per ton and possibly at
lower price.
"The beet sugar factories that ar
located some distance from the sea
coast, and have home or neaT-hom
market for the refined sugar that the
produce, are protected to a considerable
extent from competition Of tropica
cane sugar by reason of transportatiol
for long distances, and the cost of re
fning raw sugar that is imported.
~ think that the beet sugar manu-
facturers must derive more TeYenu
from the sale Of pulp and molasses thai
the tropical producers do from q. simila
source. ..-..
''The sugar companies have heay.
investments in lands, buildings AM
equipment, and ! believe that some o
them at least will make strong effort
to, reduce cost of production and con
tinue TO operate. ] am satisfied tina
the farmers who have been raising
hGets will, to q considerable extent
continue raising them for stock feei
whether the factory runs or not, The!
have learned from experience that tn
crop has great value for that purpose
Amount Of Sugar Crop
1.-The amount of sugar produced a
Scottsbluff from the last crop va
$50, 100 bags, which would make 29,3O
t1ns.
Part of the beet crop was shippel
to Colorado to be, worked up at facto
ries in that State, so the amount o
sugar made at ScottsbluG does not rep
resent the production of all of the bee
crop raised there.
THE future outlook here is not ba