The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-03-02
F. |. COOPER TALKS
ON SUGAR BEETS

|
representative of the Great Western
Sugar company, at the Commercial
Club banquet held in Roman on Feb.
IA. Those present were deeply inter-
subject, but so many farmers were
not in attendance that it is thought
it will be read by many with much
value. Mr.. Cooper said:
This is a subject on which it is
possible to write .yolumns but l will
try to simply give a few of the inn
portant facts thatt l hope will be Of
interest to the members of the Com
mercial club. This paper l will
divide into three parts: Sugar beet
raising; Beet sugar by-product in
connection with live stock industry;
and the value ola beet sugar factory
to any community.
Sugar beet raising: There is no
other stable crop today who's market
is practically unlimited, which can
produce such values per acre as the
sugar beet, and these values produced
per acre Justify the expenditure of
large sums of money on the land in
the factory.
1t is not the gross sales of crop
that determine it's value but the true
profit after all the debts and credits
on the ledger have been taken into
account. The cultivation of sugar
beets not only provides the farmer
with one of the most profitable money
crops, but it prepares and enriches
his land so that for a series of years
it produces greatly increased yield
of all other crops that follow it.
The sugar industry in the west,
particularly in Colorado, has peopled
vast areas of struggling, half heart
cases has transformed deserts into
garden spots. 1t has turned loss into
profit by thefarmers, has built up
towns and cities and has the sound
of dollars In western lands 1t has
attracted settlers and has kept resi-
dents who until the sugar beet came.
were on the point of leaving and last
but not least by any means, it has
increased tremendously the values of
all real estate In the surrounding
country
The past year proved the best
season of series of seasons of ever
increasing value to both grower and
factory. The pioneer corporation in
the field, the Great Western Sugar
company, which has factory after
factory throughout the great Rocky
Mountain region, is expanding with
marvellous rapidity. Three new ones
are well under construction, one at
Brighton, Colorado, one at Bayard,
Nebraska, and one at our sister city
Missoula.
Sugar beets grow the best in rich
sandy loan. but do very we'll in other
heavier soils such as clay and gumbO
but i'm these heavier soils it is little
more difficult to prepare the ground
and harvest the beets.
With the exception of a few places
where there is excellent sub-irriga-
ton, in climate such as we have on
the Flathead it is essential to have
available water for irrigation, as the
beets are likely to require from one
to three rrigations according to the
season. There is generally sufficient
moisture here for the spring and early
summer but for a good return one
must have steady growth through
out the month of August when the
weather is generally the driest. Now
if the water is not forthcoming the
beets have tendency to ripen up be-
fore they should and when the rains
of early September come, there is
often second growth which lessons
the sugar content. This is the reason
for many failures and much of the
dissatisfaction in the beet industry
where there is no available supply
of water for irrigation.
So as irrigation is necessary it is
essential to select beet ground with
sufficient fall. and ground that will
allow ]eveling. This is best plowed in
the fall with previous disking. but
in the spring is common, as 1t
is so often impossible to get to
it on account of the rush of fall work
necessitating the plowing being done
then.
Fertility is an essential with all
crops and while ground may be de-
ficient for some crops. it at the same
time may be stored with plant food