Methods of reducing the cost of producing beet sugar

3B 221
.T76
copy 1

B. P. 1.—298

METHODS OF REDUCING THE COST OF
PRODUCING BEET SUGAR.

By

C. O. TOWNSEND,
Pathologist in Charge of Sugar-Beet Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry.

[REPRINT FROM YEARBOOK OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR 1906. ]

4878—07 WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1907

CONTENTS. >

ty lo
Cz Page
Mat rOCC TOI. ene soe I Nea Se occ 265
ibe wmprovenent of the beet. 5. 1.25. eiscoee eee ee ee ee 266
imereasinethe sizeiof the beet. 222) aes oes es Tea ee 266
Imereasinoithe sugar, content= sas 5 sere ee eee eae ee see 267
Mostiotierowihe beets yo 6s sss eos h. ce ee oe ee eo 268
Mamaswallaese olay fc ue ee Mn Ua a eek acai) 10 is ae a 268
@ost/of labor jo. $0222 5528 2. a does Re ce eS eee 269
Amount iofdabori.: sche els eS cen e eS ieee Seen ees re ere ee 270
Soumces Or labore. 2.4) eae es ee ea ee eee eet aa ee ee 270
Reducine the: costiot Lalor we se ps sh Ste eae ere are (er ra ai ea 274
SUMMA Yrs. Sects sbe sek pe SACLE CLO LER eee ee 278
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATES.

Page.

Puate XIII. Fig. 1.—Polish women thinning beets. Fig. 2.—Belgian method
of:topping beets ose 4. ee 274

XIV. Fig. 1.—Power hoe that may be utilized in blocking and hoeing
sugar beets. Fig. 2.—Siloing sugar beets for the factory...-. 274

TEXT FIGURES.

‘ig.'6. Laborers’ houses, one to each acre tract: -<./..2/......_._ 22 273

7. A portable house used in solving the labor problem in some parts of
the sugar-beetiarea, 2 o6 5s so Sen ee COO ee en a 274

II
SEP 28 1907
D. ut Ds

METHODS OF REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING
BEET SUGAR.

By C. O. TownseEnp,
Pathologist in Charge of Sugar-Beet Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry.

INTRODUCTION.

The first refined beet-root sugar produced in commercial quantity
was made about one hundred years ago, at a cost of approximately 80
centsa pound. The cost of producing cane sugar was then somewhat
higher than that of beet sugar. The amount of raw sugar extracted
from the beet at that time varied from 4 to 6 per cent, and the amount
of refined sugar obtained was from 1 to 2 per cent of the weight of the
beet. The cost of producing an acre of beets was estimated at approx-
imately $35, while the yield was from 6 to 25 tons per acre. When
it is considered that upward of 15 pounds of refined sugar can be
obtained at retail to-day for the original cost of manufacturing 1 pound
of beet sugar it must be realized that many improvements have already
been made in the quality of the beet, in cultural methods, and in factory
operations, all of which have tended to reduce the cost of the finished
product.

The advances that have been made in cultural methods have been
offset to a very great extent by the increased cost of labor in this coun-
try, so that the actual reduction in the cost of producing beet sugar
has been due to the improvement of the beet or to less expensive oper-
ations in extracting and refining the product. It appears, therefore,
that there are three avenues through which the cost of producing beet
sugar may be increased or diminished. This article will deal only
with those methods for reducing the cost of beet sugar which bear
directly or indirectly upon the improvement and production of the raw
material—the sugar beet—while the questions connected with extract-
ing and refining the sugar will be left to the sugar chemist and to the
sugar engineer.

In this connection it may not be out of place to mention the possi-
bilities of utilizing to greater advantage the by-products of the beet-
sugarfactory. The first beet-sugar factory built (1805) manufactured
raw sugar, wine, spirits, and vinegar. After several years of successful
operation, the owner of this factory stated that if the sugar paid only
for operating the factory the enterprise would still be a success. He
further reported that the utilization of the beet leaves and pulp
enabled him to double the number of cattle on his farm, and the

265

266 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
f

manure thus produced greatly mcreased the yield of his wheat.
Stockmen are rapidly coming to understand the value of beet pulp as
a cattle food, while the possibilities of manufacturing alcohol, fusel oil,
vinegar, fertilizers, etc., from the refuse molasses have already been
demonstrated. It may be that the ever-increasing demand for
cheaper sugar, and the constantly advancing possibilities of utilizing
the by-products, may eventually place the manufacture of sugar in that
class of industries in which the factories are operated for the sake of the
by-products. However, that time is far distant, and if the onward prog-
ress of this new industry is to be maintained the manufacture of sugar
for sugar’s sake must be fostered.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE BEET.
INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE BEET.

One of the most promising lines along which the cost of producing
beet sugar may be reduced, so far as the question relates to the raw
material, is that of the improvement of the beet. When one examines
the wild beet and notes that the roots weigh but a few ounces each,
he can not help wondering at the large tonnage that was sometimes
produced early in the nineteenth century, when according to pub-
lished reports the yield frequently reached 25 tons of roots per acre.
Tt is true that the average yield was much below this point, but it
undoubtedly compared very favorably with the present average yield
of beets in this country, which according to obtainable figures is from
8 to 10 tons per acre. It would appear, therefore, that little progress
has been made along this line. That the individual roots of the culti-
vated beet are larger than those of the wild beet there is no question;
but it would seem from a study of comparative yields that the larger
the root the fewer the beets which can be produced per acre. ‘This is
undoubtedly true within certain limits; but, after the most satisfac-
tory relation between the number of beets per acre and the size of the
beets has been determined, there are three methods by which the yield
of beets per acre may be increased without diminishing the percentage
of sugar in the beet: (1) By improved cultural methods; (2) by the
use of fertilizers; and (3) by selection.

In regard to cultural methods used with sugar beets our foremost
agriculturists do not agree. They are unanimous, however, in regard
to the importance of early thmning. Undoubtedly many tons of
beets are lost to the farmers and to the factories annually by delaying
this important operation. In the use of other cultural methods we
are constantly ae new information through our experiments and
through the growers’ experience, which must eventually result 1 in an
starented tonnage of beets.

Thorough olliteevilon can not be too strongly emphasized as a factor
in sve dhnc ie good sugar beets. It is a common saying among the

REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. 267

Germans that ‘‘the sugar must be hoed into the beet.’’ While it is
true that the sunshine and the air are the principal factors in sugar pro-
duction, the cultivator and the hoe are important aids in keeping the
beet vigorous and active. Atno time in its life should a beet be allowed
to cease growing, for if it once becomes stunted it is doubtful whether it
will ever make as good a beet as it would have been under conditions
of continuous growth.

Numerous experiments have been conducted by the United States
Department of Agriculture, by the State experiment stations, and by
growers to determine the proper relation between fertilizers and the
sugar-beet crop. While there is still much to be learned in regard to
fertilizers, there can be no doubt about the benefit to be derived from
their judicious use with sugar beets. \

The rotation of crops is an important matter in the growing of sugar
beets, and while the rotations must necessarily vary in different locali-
ties there should always be some green crop in the rotation, preferably
a lezume, that can be plowed under to furnish humus and to supply at
least a part of the nitrogen.

Having done everything possible by means of cultural methods and
by the use of fertilizers of different kinds, there are still promising
possibilities in theselection method. By this process, in which experi-
ments are already under way in the Bureau of Plant Industry, it is
proposed to select for seed production large beets rich in sugar, and
by repeated selection and crossing to produce a strain of beets that
will greatly increase the yield without any decrease in the sugar con-
tent of the beets. The results should be a much larger quantity of
sugar per acre without any increase in the cost of production.

INCREASING THE SUGAR CONTENT.

Another possibility of improving the beet is to increase its sugar
content. If this is done, even without increasing the size of the beet, a
greater yield of sugar per acre may be obtained. When the percentage
of sugar obtained from the beet a century ago is compared with the
present sugar content of our cultivated beets, it is seen that much
progress has already been made in improving the beet in this direction.
A comparison of the average percentage of sugar actually obtained
from the beet with the high sugar content of the best samples indi-
cates that there is still opportunity to greatly increase the average
sugar content of our beets.

If a largely increased yield of beets is combined with a much higher
sugar content it is entirely possible to obtain three times as much sugar
per acre as is produced on an average at the present time. For
example, the present average yield of beets per acre in the United
States is about 10 tons, and the percentage of sugar actually extracted
and refined does not exceed 12, making the average yield of sugar per

268 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

acre approximately 2,400 pounds. Yields of more than 30 tons of
beets per acre are sometimes obtained, and yields of more than 20 tons
are common. From 20 to 25 per cent of sugar in the beets has been
reported so frequently that it is safe to assume that an average sugar
content of 18 per cent is within the limits of possibility. If an average
yield of 20 tons per acre and an average sugar content of 18 per cent
could be reached, we would have an average yield of 7,200 pounds of
sugar peracre. If this could be realized without mcreasing the cost of
growing the beets, it should be entirely possible for the grower to
furnish the raw material to the factory at a somewhat lower cost than
is at present practicable. This is the first important step toward
- reducing the cost of sugar production.

One of the most important factors in producing a beet rich in sugar
is the proper selection of beets for seed production. This is the seeds-
man’s problem, and is, under the present methods of beet-seed-produc-
tion, entirely outside the province of the grower of factory beets.
However, the sugar content of beet roots depends to a very great
extent. upon the soil and climatic conditions. For example, in 1903
the Bureau of Plant Industry planted several varieties of sugar-beet
seed on the Arlington Experimental Farm, near Washington. Thisseed
was produced from beets that tested from 16 to 18 per cent of sugar. —
The beets grown from the seed tested in no case more than 12 per cent
of sugar, and nearly all the samples tested less than 10 per cent.
These beets were sent to Utah and planted for seed in 1904. The
beets grown in 1905 from the seed produced from these roots tested
16 to 17 per cent of sugar. It will be seen, therefore, that while the
beet still possessed the tendency to produce a high sugar content, the
soil and climatic conditions in the vicinity of Washington, D. C., in
1903 kept the sugar production too low for,practical purposes.

If the climatic conditions in any locality appear to be unfavorable
for sugar-beet production, it is not advisable to undertake to grow
sugar beets on a commercial scale until a beet has been developed by
selection or otherwise that is adapted to that particular locality. It
has been found that clay loams and sandy loams are very satisfactory
for sugar-beet production, provided other conditions are favorable;
but more depends upon the physical condition of the soil and upon
methods of cultivation than upon the particular kind or variety of soil
used. The soil should be well supplied with humus’ and well drained.

COST OF GROWING BERETS.

LAND VALUES.

In considering the methods by which beet sugar may be. produced
at a smaller cost so far as the raw material is concerned, there are
certain factors which tend to increase rather than to diminish the cost
of production. One of these is the increase of land values. Durmg

REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. 269

the past decade there has been a remarkable advance in the price of
farming lands, especially in those localities where beet-sugar factories
are in successful operation. These lands have become more valuable
not only because they produce large quantities of sugar beets, but
because there is a ready market for the crop and because other valu-
able crops form with the sugar beets a very satisfactory rotation.
There are thousands of acres of good farming lands where sugar beets
may be grown with profit as soon as sugar factories are constructed.

Five years ago the land in a certain vallev in Utah was offered for
sale at $20 an acre. Since that time a sugar factory has been built,
and from 6,000 to 8,000 acres of sugar beets are grown in that valley
annually, bringing to the owners a return of $75 and upward per
acre. Asa result, practically none of the land is for sale at the pres-
ent time. If by force of circumstances a tract of this land changes
hands, the price obtained is $100 or more per acre.

In some parts of Colorado sugar beets, potatoes, and alfalfa form a
rotation series to which small grains are sometimes added. When it
is realized that potatoes often yield from 600 to 800 bushels per acre
and sugar beets upward of 20 tons per acre, it is not surprising that
this land is held at several hundred dollars per acre; and it may
be stated that in none of the sugar-beet areas is the price of land
decreasing.

» The theory that sugar beets will ruin the land has long since been
exploded. The best crops of sugar beets and other farm products
are found on many of the farms wher@sugar beets have been grown
longest. This is in part due to the fact that good farmers have become
better farmers through their experience in growing beets. Proper
rotation of crops, good cultivation, and the judicious use of fertilizers
are the factors that keep the land in good condition and enable farmers
to obtain the highest possible returns for the labor and money in-
vested. The situation in regard to land values, so far as they relate
to sugar beets, may be stated as follows: Inasmuch as sugar beets
require the best quality of soil and demand that it shall be in the
highest state of cultivation to produce the best results, sugar beets
must remain a comparatively high-priced crop, and any attempt to
reduce their price must result either in producing an unsatisfactory
crop or in eliminating sugar beets from the system of crop rotation
in many localities.

COST OF LABOR.

Another factor which up to the present time has had a tendeney
to increase rather than to diminish the cost of sugar-beet production
is the cost of labor. The price of farm labor, like land- values, has
increased materially within the past few years. This is especially
true of hand labor for thinning, pulling, and topping beets. In view
of the greatly increased cost within the past decade of nearly all the

~

270 YEARBOOK, OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

necessaries of life, and with every indication that the cost of living
will not be materially reduced in the near future, it can not reasonably
be expected that farm wages will be appreciably lowered within the
next few years, at least. It is clear that the increased cost of labor
thus far has had a tendency to increase rather than to decrease the
cost of beet sugar.

AMOUNT OF LABOR. |

Another phase of the labor question should be considered in this
connection, and that is the amount of labor required in growing an
acre of beets in order to obtain the greatest profit from the crop. The
average cost of growing and harvesting beets at present is estimated
to be approximately $30 per acre. It would undoubtedly be poor
economy to lessen the cost of growing beets by reducing the amount
of labor per acre under the present conditions. There are some indi-
cations that a still larger expenditure of labor upon the crop would
produce a much greater return. For example, several years ago one
of the leading agricultural papers of this country offered a series of
prizes for the best crop of sugar beets to be grown under certain con-
ditions. One of the winners produced approximately 30 tons of
beets on an acre of ground. The total cost of growing this acre of
beets was nearly $60. A little reflection will show that a much
larger profit per acre was obtained in producing 30 tons of beets onga
given area at an outlay of $60 per acre than would have been made
by spending $30 in growing the present average tonnage on the same
area. From this and other examples that might be cited, the conclu-
sion is obvious that the production of sugar per acre may be increased
by increasing the amount of labor per acre in growing the beets.

SOURCES OF LABOR.

The question of obtaining a sufficient number of the right kind
of laborers to grow the sugar-beet crop has become one of the most
complex and at the same time one of the most important problems
in connection with the sugar-beet industry in nearly all the beet
areas in this country. Scarcity of labor has an important bearing
upon the cost of sugar production in several ways, but especially in
delaying the work and in leaving certain operations undone, thereby
reducing the yield of sugar per acre.

In some localities no difficulty is experienced in obtaining a suffi-
cient number of suitable laborers throughout the season, especially
in those sections where the farms are small and the country is thickly
settled with good farmers. Under these circumstances the individual
farmer is usually found growing a small acreage of beets—frequently
not more than from 3 to 10 acres—which he is able to care for with
his own family, with possibly some assistance now and then from his
neighbors. In this way beets are grown more satisfactorily as

REDUCING THE GOST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. 971

regards labor than in any other. In most of our sugar-beet sections,
however, it is necessary to depend to a greater or less extent upon
outside help. Just how this labor is to be secured, how it is to be
‘Tetained throughout the season, and how it can be made a permanent
factor in the sugar-beet industry are problems upon the correct
solution of which the future of the beet-sugar industry depends to
a very great extent. Efforts are being made to work out these
problems in the various localities where help is needed; and, while
the conditions in the different sections are not identical, a brief
review of some of the important methods used may be helpful.

In the Middle and Eastern States, and in some of the Western
States, a large part of the labor in connection with sugar beets
must be done during the summer, at which time a large number of
pupils and teachers from the public schools are available for the
work. Many growers take advantage of this fact, and hundreds
of school children are employed annually in thinning, weeding, and
hoeing beets. In some localities the teachers, both men and women,
spend a part of the long vacation in the beet fields, much to their
advantage physically as well as financially. When this kind of labor
can be employed it is generally satisfactory, and improves from season
to season with the experience gained. Unfortunately there is not
enough of this kind of labor to supply the demand, and in a few
localities it is reported unsatisfactory.

If the sugar-beet area is located near one or more large cities a
considerable portion of the temporary labor comes from that class
of city residents who have no permanent employment and who are
willing to go out and work in the fields. This is especially true of
certain members of the foreign population, both men and women,
who often make excellent farm hands. Most of these laborers
insist upon returning to their homes in the city at the close of the
day. Numerous instances might be cited of Polish women who
walk from 2 to 4 miles in the morning in order to do their day’s
work of thinning, hoeing, or topping beets, or other farm work
that their employer may require. (Pl. XIII, fig. 1.) At the close of
the day they walk back to their homes only to repeat the same
operation the next day and each day throughout the season. Some
of the employers state that this is the best class of labor that they
are able to obtain on their farms.

Some of the laborers become very skillful at this kind of work;
others were familiar with it before coming to this country and depend
from the first upon finding employment of this kind. However,
many of these laborers are seeking permanent employment in the
factories and other enterprises in the city, so that this class of farm
labor is in constant danger of depletion. At best this kind of labor
is limited by the number of people who are willing to go out from

U

Di, YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

the city and do work of this kind, and also by the small number of
‘farmers who are near enough to the city to allow the laborers to
return home at the close of the day. If some of the farmers living _
farther away from the city could induce some of these families to
become permanent residents of the rural districts it would undoubt-
edly be mutually beneficial in many cases. Various methods are
being used in different places to accomplish this result. In one sec-
tion where labor is scarce the officials of the sugar company sug-
gested that each farmer build at least one tenant house for the ac-
commodation of some of the labor required. The farmers are acting
upon this suggestion, and undoubtedly within a few years this com-
munity will be well supplied with good labor.

It is well known that many families, especially those of foreign
birth, hesitate about going into the country for the reason that they
would, in a way, become practically isolated from their countrymen.
In order to overcome this difficulty and at the same time to solve
the labor problem for the sugar-beet industry, several sugar com-
panies have purchased large tracts of land and have offered various
inducements to laborers to settle upon the land in colonies. For
example, one sugar company divided its land into small farms of 40
acres each, which were sold at a low price on easy terms. The only
requirement was that the purchaser should grow a small acreage of
sugar beets for at least two years, upon the presumption that if beets
were grown for two years the purchaser would be a permanent
erower. This plan, which was started four years ago, worked out
satisfactorily. All the land was sold and each year upward of 6,000
acres of sugar beets are grown for the near-by factory.

In another sugar-beet section the sugar company has divided its
land into small farms, which if has equipped with the necessary stock
and tools and on which it has built comfortable houses. These places
are rented to farmers, who are growing small areas of sugar beets.
This plan is working satisfactorily for the sugar company and, like the
preceding method, is of inestimable benefit to many families desirous
of becoming independent citizens.

Still another sugar company has set apart a portion of its land with
a view to forming a Russian colony. This land is divided into acre
tracts, and a small house is built on each tract. Figure 6 shows
four of these houses; that is, the two buildings shown consist of two
houses each, placed side by side. These houses are rented to Russian
families with the definite understanding that when a family has
worked for the company a given number of years a deed for the house
-and lot will be given to that family. This plan is of comparatively
recent origin, and the effect that it will have upon the solution of the
labor question is still problematical. If there is any disadvantage in
this plan over the preceding ones it undoubtedly lies in the fact that

REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. 273

the tract of land is not large enough to support a family; hence, the
workers must seek employment on other farms, necessitating the
expenditure of considerable time and energy in getting to and from
their work.

In the same community another plan has been adopted which
promises good results. The important point, the nucleus of this plan,
is a portable house. The outfit, as shown in figure 7, consists of
a farmer’s handy wagon, the wheels of which are 28 inches in diameter
and have a 5-inch tread. The construction of the house is shown in
the cut. The outfit consists of a laundry stove, cooking utensils,
woven-wire folding cots, mattresses, and blankets. Each house will
accommodate from two to five workmen, and costs about $75. The
laborers occupying one of these houses contract to do the hand work
for several beet growers at a price ranging from $18 to $21 per acre,
depending upon the number of hoeings, etc., included in the contract.

ty ii

HT Ms i i

h ihe

Fiq. 6.—Laborers’ houses, one to each acre tract—one method of solving the labor question in grow-
ing sugar beets.

The agreement is that when they have finished one operation, such as
thinning, for one farmer, he will take his team and haul the house to
the next farm. This house is portable, not only in the sense that it is
on wheels, but also from the fact that it is capable of being taken
down and shipped on the cars. In this way it is easily shifted about
from community to community, to the place where it is most needed.

The laborers using these houses are mostly Belgians, who seem to
be very satisfactory in the beet fields in most instances. They are
tireless workers, and when employed by the acre often utilize every
moment of daylight in caring for the beets under their contract.
Their method of topping beets, as shown in Plate XIII, fig. 2, is one
that seems to be peculiar to themselves, and is very rapid. The beets
are pulled and thrown in rows, with the tops all one way, and then ina
bent position, as shown in the illustration, the laborers go up and down
the rows, cutting off the tops and throwing the beets into piles. The
two brothers shown in the illustration were photographed in 1904

274 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. -

while working on one of theircontracts. This year(1906) they rented
40-acre farm and are growing their own beets. It is safe to predict the
within a few years they will be landowners and employers of labor. |
In still other communities large numbers of Japanese are employed fo
sugar-beet work. Fora given community the Japanese are usuall
contracted for through their leader,who agrees under bond to furnis!
so many laborers for the hand work at some stipulated price. Thi:
price is about the same in all the sugar-beet sections—$20 per acre
This army of laborers, often consisting of several hundred under one
contract, may be, and usually is, divided into smaller squads, which!
are sent to the various fields where they are needed. They usually
form a camp in which they live by themselves. Under the direction:
of a competent foreman they are capable of doing excellent work, but

S

aw)

Fig. 7.—A portable house used in solving the labor problem in some parts of the sugar-beet area.

they sometimes become careless and trifling, in spite of everything
that may be said or done.

Many growers in the West speak very highly of the Chinese as labor-
ers in the sugar-beet fields, but owing to our present immigration laws
they are necessarily very scarce, this being especially true of the
younger and more active members of the race.

REDUCING THE COST OF LABOR.

The high price of labor, as well as its scarcity, has acted as an incen-
tive to change the structure of beet seed and devise other means
whereby sugar beets may be grown with less hand labor. While
it has been shown that all the labor performed in producing a
crop of beets is necessary in order to obtain the best results under
present conditions, it may be possible to perform one or more of these.
various operations in some other manner with just as good or even
better results than at present and at less expense. For example, the
production of single-germ beet seed is but a method of thinning beets
before the seed is planted.

Yearbook U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1906. PLATE XIII.

F.G. 1.—POLISH WOMEN THINNING BEETS.

Fi@. 2.—BELGIAN METHOD OF TOPPING BEETS.

Yearbook U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1906. PLATE XIV.

~

er ig OR Guly «~.

Fic. 1.—POWER HOE THAT MAY BE UTILIZED IN BLOCKING AND HOEING SUGAR BEETS.

Fic. 2.—SILOING SUGAR BEETS FOR THE FACTORY.

REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. 215

PRODUCTION. OF SINGLE-GERM SEED.—Commercial beet seed con-
sists for the most part of from two to seven individual seeds welded by
nature into one mass. It is evident that plants produced from such a
mass of seeds must necessarily be very close together, and thus far no
mechanism has been devised whereby the plants can be properly
thinned. It is clear, therefore, that if we expect to do away with the

hand thinning of our sugar beets it can probably be accomplished only
by changing the construction of the seed ball, either naturally or
artificially, so that there will be but one germ in each ball. Repeated
efforts have been made to break up the seed balls by passing them
through various forms of rollers and grinders so that each seed could
be planted by itself. The seed coats are so hard that any device that
has been tried thus far that will crush or break the seed ball breaks a
large number of the seeds and renders them useless.

An effort is being made by the Bureau of Plant Industry to produce
a single-germ beet seed by selection. The results of this work up to
the close of last season (1905) are reported in Bulletin No. 73 of the
Bureau of Plant Industry, in which it is shown that the percentage of
single-germ seeds has been increased from less than 2 to upward of 25
per cent.? In the light of the advance that has already been made it is
reasonably safe to assume that this object will finally be accomplished
by this means. After a plant possessing single-germ seed balls has
been produced it will necessarily be a number of years before a suffi-
cient quantity of this seed can be produced so that it can be used
commercially.

_ Turnninc.—Meantime, as the industry grows, there will be an ever-

increasing demand for hand labor for thinning the beets. Many
growers have not yet learned the importance of early thinning, and
consequently they try to do the work with an insufficient force, letting
this operation, which should be done within a few days, extend over a
period of several weeks, much to the detriment of the yield and con-
sequently to the returns from the crop.

Horrne.—The number of hoeings given a crop of sugar beets varies
from two to five. A single hoeing is much less expensive than the
single operation of Jimmies or of harvesting, but the total number of
hoeings, if properly done, will cost more than either of the other opera~
tions. It is important, therefore, that something be done to reduce
the cost of hoeing sugar beets. As already pointed out, it would be
poor economy to reduce the cost of hoeing beets by giving them a
smaller number of hoeings or by doing the work less thoroughly. On
the other hand, there are indications that better beets could be grown

aSince this paper was written the single-germ seeds produced in 1906 have been
separated and counted, and it is found that several of the plants yielded upward of
49 per cent of single-germ seeds. A large number of the plants produced more than
30 per cent.

276 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

if more attention were given to this phase of sugar-beet culture. If
anything is to be gained over the present method of hoeing beets it
must be by means of a machine that will’do the work more thor-
oughly or at a lower cost per acre. A power hoe has recently been
invented and successfully used in the cotton fields. Although not
yet tried in connection with sugar beets, it would seem from its con-
struction that it could be used to considerable advantage in the beet
fields. This hoe consists of a metal disk which may. be forced into the
eround to any desired depth, and is made to rotate rapidly in a plane
parallel to the surface of theyground. The power that causes the
disk to rotate is furnished by a gasoline engine, while the movement
around the plant is guided by the human hand, as shown in the illus-
tration. (See Pl. XIV, fiz.1.) It is claimed for this machine that
from five to six times as much work can be done per day with one
of these hoes as can be done by the same man with a hand hoe. If
this particular implement is not adapted to sugar-beet work it will
doubtless lead to something whereby artificial power may be used in
blocking and hoeing sugar beets.

CULTIVATING.—Several cultivations are necessary in the growing ©
season. The number of cultivations and the depth and distance
from the beets that the teeth of the cultivator should operate are
moot questions among agriculturists. It is agreed that different
conditions require different treatments, and hence the expense of culti-
vating beets must depend somewhat upon soil and weather conditions.
However, the single cultivator has given way to a great extent to the
two-row cultivator, and recently a four-row cultivator has been
devised and put in operation, so that the cost of each cultivation is
ereatly reduced. The initial cost of the four-row cultivator is greater
than that of a single-row cultivator, but the additional outlay is soon
made up if there is a considerable acreage of beets to be cared for.

Harvestine.—Harvesting sugar beets consists of three distinct
operations, viz, lifting, pulling, and topping. For many years lift-
ing or loosening the beets has been done by horse power. In some
parts of the West steam power is now being used for this purpose.
Two kinds of lifters are in general use, one consisting of a side plow,
which passes along one side of the beet row and loosens each beet by
pressing slightly against it and at the same time plowing it up. The
other form might be described as a plow with two points or shoes, so
arranged that as they pass along on either side of the beet row each
individual beet is caught between the points and lifted shghtly, so that
it is left perfectly loose in the ground. The beets must then be pulled
and topped by hand.

_ Many forms of beet harvesters have been constructed, but none
has come into general use. It is the aim of the inventor of the
beet harvester to perform the three operations at the same time.

REDUCING THE COST OF PRODUCING BEET SUGAR. Pe

Some inventors aim to top the beet and then pull it, while others
maintain that the beet must be first pulled and then topped. If the
beets are topped and afterwards pulled, there seems to be some diffi-
culty about getting all of them out of the ground. On the other
hand, if the beets are first pulled and then topped, considerable diffi-
culty is experienced in topping them correctly, owing to the variation
in the size of the beets and the difference in the length and size of the
crowns. Several new harvesters are in the field this year (1906), and
it is probably a question of only a few years when the harvester in the
beet field will be as common as it is in the grain field. The cost of
hand work in harvesting beets is from $5 to $8 per acre. It must be
remembered that no machine annihilates the cost of any farming
operation, but that a satisfactory beet harvester would greatly reduce
- the expense of harvesting the crop is evident.

TRANSPORTING TO FACTORY.—Another important factor in the cost
of producing the raw material is the expense involved in transporting
the beets from the farm to the factory. If the field is located near the
factory and the roads are level and well made the beets may be
delivered at a minimum cost. As the distance from the factory
increases, more time is consumed, and consequently the expense is
increased. The importance of good roads can not be overestimated.
It frequently happens that the fall rains begin before the beets are
delivered, and unless the roads are well made they are soon full of
holes and ruts that make it impossible to hac] more than half a load
at a time, practically doubling the expense of delivering the crop.
One effect of the sugar-beet industry is the improvement of the coun-

-try.roads, and conversely the improvement of the country roads is an
aid to ag sugar-beet industry.

Railroad elie and rates play an ie part in the cost of
delivering the sugar-beet crop. Very few factories grow all their
beets within hauling distance. The grower and sugar company are
. fortunate if the railroads so radiate frora the vicinity of the factory
. that the beets grown in a given community can be brought in over one

line of road. It is often the case, however, that the cars must be sent

ever two or more roads, which necessarily increases the expense. It

too often happens that there is an insufficient supply of cars at the
t time they are wanted or the cars furnished are not adapted to handling
sugar beets; consequently considerable time is lost in loading and
unloading the beets. All these things are adjusting themselves gradu-
ally to the betterment of the industry through the persistent efforts of
those interested.

DESTROYING WEEDS.—The improvement of farming methods has
been mentioned as playing a significant part in sugar-beet growing.
One point that should be emphasized in this connection is the impor-
tance of destroying weeds. This work should not be confined to the

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LIBRARY OF CONGR

beet fields. Adjacent fields, roadsides, fence roy Kl) I | I ll.
should be watched and the oe dhemonad before le SS a 80
It is not uncommon to find beet fields that are in fairly eon conde
tion while the roadside just over the fence is full of weeds. Some of
the seeds of these weeds will certainly be scattered by various agencies
over the field and be ready for growth the next year. The destruc-
tion of weeds for a single season will not always produce appreciable
results, for the reason that a large number of weed seeds remain alive
in the ground for a number of years. Persistent efforts in destroying
weeds, however, will result after a few years in greatly reducing the
labor of keeping beet fields free from these pests.

278 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGR

SILOING THE BEETS.—Another expense that must be reckoned
with under certain circumstances is that of silomg the beets. This
becomes necessary when the beets must be harvested faster than
they can be handled at the factory. It will be seen at once that
siloing the beets necessitates an extra handling of the crop, smce they
must be reloaded into the wagons and hauled to the factory or dump-
ing station. Inasmuch as siloing factory beets has not yet come into
general practice in all of the beet-growing localities, a fair idea of the
methods employed and labor involved may be gained by referring to —
Plate XIV, figure 2. In addition to the extra expense involved, which
varies from 20 cents to $1 a ton, there is more or less shrinkage ee
due to evaporation. To are the expense and loss incident to siloing
the beets an effort is being made by the Bureau of Plant Industry to
lengthen the harvesting season by producing an early-maturing beet.
It is hoped by this means to so distribute the ripening period that the
factory will be able to handle the beets as soon as they are harvested. .

SUMMARY.

While the methods of cheapening the process of making beet sugar
can not be adequately treated in a short article of this kind, the
principal points to be aimed at may be summed up as follows:

(1) Increasing the tonnage without increasing cost of production.

(2) Improving the quality of the beets without additional expense.

(3) Improving the beet in size and quality, or both, at additional -
expense, but in such ratio that the gain is greater than the outlay.

(4) Providing a sufficient quantity of suitable labor at the proper
time so that the beets may be kept growing without interruption.

(5) Modifying the beet seed so as to render thinning unnecessary.

(6) Modifying the beet so that siloing for the factory will not be
necessary.

(7) Devising machinery that will do away with hand labor.

(8) hettoetne farming methods and operations so that less labor
will be required to aristraiae the crop.

mproving wagon roads and railroad facilities. ARY OF CONGRES

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