The Bismarck tribune., 1929-04-16
SUGAR BEET ACRES
WILL INCREASE 62
PER CENT SAYSHAW
Total Last Year Of $4,000 to
Expand to $1,000 Along n. P.
Railway, Farm Man Thinks
GROWERS PAID $4,000, 1000
In Billings Area in % Years
Great Western Company Has
Distributed $26,o2o,o53

st. Paul, April l6.-An increase Of
g. per cent this year In the sugar
beet acreage to supply the five beet
sugar manufacturing plants located
in the Northwest along the lines of
the Northern Pacific is forecast by
John w. Haw, director Of the depart
mcnt Of agricultural development Of
that railway.
Growers last year we're paid $2,O0O,-
600 by manufacturers for the yield Of
more than 100000 tons of sugar beets
grown on $4,000 acres. Mr.. Haw's
prediction is that $1,000 acres will be
grown this year for the same manu-
featuring plants. Beet sugar fac
tories are located at Billings. Sidney
and Missoula, Mont, East Grand
Forks, Mimi, and Bellingham, Wash.
Mr.. Haw said that trade authori-
ties have prepared statistics showing
that consumption of beet sugar In the
United States increased from 7e0. 1862
tons in 1927 to 1.037,24l tons in 1928.
This he held to be significant as in
dicating the trend toward expansion
of the beet sugar industry, benefiting
the Northwest both industrially and
agriculturally.
Sugar bects in the Northwest
states are profitable cash CROP"
Mr. Haw said, land when rotated and
cultivated properly are beneficial to
the soil. The by-products Of beet
growing-the tops and the pulp-are
turned into money when fed to live
stock.
"At Billings, the largest of the five
plants, and the second largest beet
sugar factory In the world, last year
had contracts for 10000 acres, but in
the. coming season will be furnished
beets from $4,000 acres. In this ter
ritory, over period of q years. the
Great Western Sugar Beet company
has paid the producers a total of
$26 1925, ,053.41. an average gross of
1881 an acre, with the average yield
running 1882 tons to the acre over
22-year period.
I'm 1928. the East Grand Forks
plant of the American Beet Sugar
company received an average OF 8.54
tons Of beets to the acre from 8.70O
acres In the famous Red river valley
OF Minnesota and North Dakota. Be-
cause of greater interest In beets as
crop in the improved farm program
which is becoming more noticeable in
that section, and because of a higher
contract price. the acreage will be
more than doubled this year, approx
imating 19,6O0.
AT Sidney, on the Lower Yellow
stone irrigation project, 5O,329 tons of
beets were produced OH 500 acres for
the Holly Sugar corporation plant. It
is notable that the sugar content was
1889 per cent.
Completed in the fall of 1928, the
new plant Of the Amalgamated Sugar
company at MisSoula in It's first sea-
son handled 20,708 tons of beets from
2,100 acres. These beets had a high
sugar content, averaging q fraction
over Is per cent. The acreage for this
plant will be larger this season. Late
last year more than 5000 acres had
been contracted for 1929 and pros
poets were for total in excess of
5000, including an acreage in the
Helena Valley.
AT Bellinghaan. growers produced
10000 tons Of beets on 1900 acres last
year for the local plant of the Utah
Idaho Beet Sugar company. Reports
from Bellingham are that the acre.
age will be greater In the coming sea-
son."