CHAPTER IV 



CONDITIONS FOR GROWING SUGAR-BEETS 



Probably no other common crop should be more 

 closely confined to regions adapted to its growth than 

 should sugar-beets. This is due in part to the great 

 expense required to raise an acre of beets, and where 

 natural conditions are unfavorable, the returns for this 

 expense and labor are small. Another important item to 

 be considered is that sugar-beets are not raised by iso- 

 lated farmers; there must be a sufficient number of 

 beets in a region to justify the erection of a factory. 

 Thus, a large amount of capital is tied up in a manufac- 

 turing plant. This will be wasted if beets cannot be 

 raised successfully. 



In raising a crop like potatoes, adaptation is not so im- 

 portant. The individual farmer may raise a few potatoes 

 for his own use even though the country is not well adapted 

 to potato-growing. If at any time he wishes to raise some 

 other crop, he is perfectly free to change and no one is 

 injured. With sugar-beets, on the other hand, there 

 may be a great loss if the industry is established in a 

 region not adapted to it ; hence the importance of know- 

 ing the conditions contributing to the success of sugar- 

 beet production. These conditions may be grouped as : 

 (1) climatic conditions, (2) nature of the soil, and (3) 

 economic conditions. Of the climatic factors, temp)er- 



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