CHAPTER XII 

 BY-PRODUCTS 



IN some of the live-stock communities, sugar-beets are 

 becoming one of the most important crops because of 

 the large quantity of inexpensive stock feed produced as 

 by-products of the beet-sugar industry. It is the opinion 

 of some experienced beet-growers, especially dairy-men, 

 that beets would be a profitable crop to raise in order to 

 secure the tops for stock feed, even if no profit were ob- 

 tained from the beets themselves. In addition to the 

 tops, sufficient cheap feed in the form of pulp and molasses 

 is annually available to fatten thousands of cattle and 

 sheep. Sugar-beet regions are usually profitable live-stock 

 sections. Each acre of sugar-beets yielding a good crop 

 furnishes nearly as much feed in the form of by-products 

 as is obtained from most ordinary forage plants. The 

 best beet-growers are generally good stock-men and re- 

 ceive considerable of their income from live-stock. 



SUGAR-BEET TOPS 



In topping the beets, there remains in the field from 

 one-third to two-thirds as much weight as is hauled away. 

 This consists of beet tops and crowns. The quantity 

 varies considerably with the soil, climate, water received, 



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