Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-01-01
BEET SUGAR
DURING 1914
Shows Decrease in Output
Compared with Last Year
INCREASED PRICE
TO BEET GROWERS
Voluntary Action of Beet Sugar COM
panies Added About Three Million
Dollars for This Season

The following resume OF the past
years beet sugar business in the Uni
ted States is taken from Facts About
Sugar" published in New York on
Dec. 20, 1914:
By the end of the present month
nearly $300O0,000 will have been paid
to the farmers OF the country for this
years crop of sugar bects. While this
amount is being distributed among
the growers in seventeen states, the
largest sums are disbursed in Colora-
do, Michigan and California, these
three states being the foremost pro-
ducers of sugar beets.
The amount distributed to the farm
crs is somewhat less than last year
because of the decrease in the acre
age planted to beets following the re-
duction in the tariff on sugar, which
under ordinary circumstances would
have been followed by lower price
for sugar than now prevails. 1t is less
probaly by S5,000,000 to S6,000,000
than would have been realized by the
farmers of the country had no such
inimical legislation been adopted. and
had the industry been permitted to
continue the rate of growth which it
has enjoyed for the past ten years.
On the other hand, the sum rccciv-
ed by the sugar beet growers OF the
country is considerably larger than
was anticipated earlier in the year
Two factors have contributed to this
result One OF these has been the
highly favorable weather conditions
attending the growth and harvesting
of the crop, with the result that the
yield and quality OF the bects has been
unusually good in most sections of Tie
country. The other has been the vol
untary action of the beet sugar conf
panies in restoring the price paid for
bccts to last years level This ac-
ton was taken because the market
conditions created hy the European
war have caused sugar to sell for a
higher price than was anticipated last
spring when the contracts with beet
farmers were made. and the compan-
les operating the factories decided to
restore the schedule of payments that
had been in effect before the adoption
of the Underwood tariff law in order
to share this unexpected good for
tune with the growers. By .heir ac-
ton, from s., 100000 10 s3.GGO.0DO has
been added to the amount :ha. other
wise would have bcen paid TO beet
growers this season.
While il will not be possible to give
exact figures of the output OF beet SUI
gar until some time lt.er the close OF
the present season on January ], the
campaign is now so lar advanced that
a reasonably accurate forecast OF tie
country's production may be arrived
at. The preliminary estimate issued
By the Department OF Agriculture on
November "a placed the probable
yield at $4,000 tons of 1000 pounds.
which would be equivalent TO $4,000
long tons. The Departments esti-
mate OF the tonnage of beets grown
is 5.147 900 tons. The total beet SUI
gar production last year was I33,OOn
short tons or 655,000 long tons. so
that the reduction this year. providing
the Department estimate is accurate.
will amount to about 10 per cent. As
the rate OF growth OF the industry for
several years past has averaged about
20 per cent, the check imposed by the
partial reduction in the customs rate
which already has gone into effect
maybe placed at about 80 per cent.
In other words, the production OF beet
sugar during the present year is from
l75OO0 to 100000 short tons less than
il would have been had this check not
brcu iu1Dosel