New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 189 



sugar of inferior purity. The coefficient of purity in the samples 

 analyzed varied from below 75 to over 87, with an average of 

 82.5. 



(3) Yield of beets. Twenty tons of marketable beets an acre 

 may be regarded as a maximum yield in commercial operations. 

 An average of 10 to 12 tons an acre may probably be expected in 

 favorable seasons in this State. 



(4) Cost of production. The cost of raising an acre of sugar 

 beets may be placed between |40 and |50, when all conditions 

 are favorable. 



(5) Market price and profits. ■ There is good reason to exi>ect 

 that beets will bring from |4 to |5 a ton according to vai-ying con- 

 ditions of sugar, purity, etc. In general, a profit of $5 to |10 an 

 acre above all expenses may be regarded as a reasonable expecta- 

 tion from the crop. 



(6) General considerations. The sugar beet is to be grown as 

 an added crop with a comparatively small acreage at the begin- 

 ning, increasing as conditions favor. The educational value de- 

 rived from growing sugar beets is considerable. A farmer who 

 learns to grow sugar beets well will grow other crops better for 

 the experience. The soil on which sugar beets have been grown 

 is left in better mechanical condition than by other crops. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The growing of sugar beets for the production of sugar is, at 

 the present time, attracting more attention in our State than any 

 other subject connected with agriculture. Farmers are asking for 

 reliable information in regard to those various phases of the sub- 

 ject which possess special interest for them. They want to know 

 whether the soil and climate of our State are adapted to the suc- 

 cessful raising of sugar beets; whether they may have a reason- 

 able assurance of a fair profit, compared with other crops grown 

 by them ; and whether there is any degree of certainty that they 

 may be sure of a cash crop and a steady market. The chief ele- 

 ments which determine whether sugar beets can be grown at a 

 profit are the following: 



