Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-10-24
Sugar Beets in Wisconsin.

Farmers in different sections of the
state are becoming more and more in
terested in the growing of sugar
beets as years pass on. Not only are
sugar beets grown to be Smanufactur-
ed into sugar at the beet factory, but
for succulency as food for live stock
as we'll.
The growing of this sweet crop is
not limited to any particular area
in the state, but usually it is best
grown or well-drained, clayey and fer
tile sandy loan soils with consider
able amount of humus in them.
However, fairly good crops are grown
on other soils when properly man.
aged. Any soil that will grow good
crop of potatoes, corn, grain and clov-
er will grow sugar beets. Fertility
and physical character of the soil and
attention given the crop while it is
growing will in large measure de-
termine the yield of this important
money crop.
In the state this year there are
p, 500 acres devoted to growing the
crop, or nearly 1000 acres more than
were grown last year. Sugar beets
are largely grown among counties in
eastern, central and southeasternpo r-
tions of the state, representing in it's
entirety 36 sections, or full political
township. This year the acreage
grown by the individual farmer large
ly depends upon the available farm
help, the size of the farm, and the
crop rotation practised. From one to
one hundred acres are frequently
grown by farmers. Ordinarily from
three to eight acres of land are de-
voted to the growing of this crop by
the average sugar beet grower.
Long-continued drouth in July and
August, especially in the eastern
counties of the state, and shortage OF
labor, will under all probabilities
bring the average yield down to
about 10 tons per acre, although
yields ranging from to "a tons to
the acre are anticipated by some
farmers this year. Wisconsin ranks
sixth in sugar beet production in the
states. It will produce about 10000
tons Of sugar beet sugar, or supply
every man, woman and child in the
state witt. about IS per cent of all
the sugar they will consume during
the year.
Sugar beet growing represents in
tensive farming and involves consid-
cradle labor. Where the acreage is
small the work usually is performed
with the assistance of the home help,
but where the acreage is large Rus
sian, Belgian and Hungarian families
are secured through labor bureaus in
large cities such as Chicago, ST. Louis
and Minneapolis. These foreigners
have been trained in their native
land in the handling of this crop.
They usually are paid from $40 TO $25
an acre for doing the hand work as
blocking, thinning, wedding, pulling
and such other work until harvested.
The sugar factories pay $40 per ton,
f. O. b. loading station. Some are
writing contracts on the sliding scale
order which guarantees SO per ton
with increased price for beets follow
ing any increase in price for sugar
over SO per hundred weight. The
good ching about growing sugar beets
is that the farmer always knows what
he will get for his crop when harvest
ed, since the contracts are signed be-
fore the beet seed is planted IN the
spring. Then, COO, the crop is less
susceptible to diseases than are many
other farm crops This crop can
withstand considerable drouth and
tide over adverse conditions of wealth