THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN 1920. _ H 



This is notably the case in nearly all parts of the southern United 

 States. Occasionally areas are found in these warmer zones where 

 sugar beets may be grown successfully. This is true in southern 

 California and in some parts of Arizona and New Mexico, where the 

 adverse condition of temperature is overcome by growing the beets 

 during the so-called winter months, or at least by getting the plants 

 started in the winter or early spring. In some sections the elevation 

 and the temperature of the prevailing wind are sufficient to modify 

 the climate so that sugar beets may be produced with profit. If the 

 Arinter months are too cold for the production of beets and the sum- 

 mers too warm for the proper storage of sugar in the roots, a limit- 

 ing factor is established which renders profitable sugar-beet growing- 

 impossible with any known varieties. Should it become desirable to 

 extend the culture of sugar beets into the warmer sections of the 

 country, it is possible that suitable varieties could be developed that 

 would be profitable from the standpoint of both tonnage and quality. 



Another important consideration is the fact that high temperatures 

 tend to increase spoilage. This may be overcome b}^ passing the beets 

 through the mill as rapidly as they are harvested and by harvesting 

 the roots as soon as they are matured. Regarding the lower tem- 

 peratures, sugar beets have been successfully grown in practically 

 all of our Northern States, and several beet-sugar mills are operated 

 successfully in Canada. It is apparent, therefore, that the lower 

 temperatures do not constitute a limiting factor in sugar-beet grow- 

 ing in any of our agricultural sections. It would seem that a short 

 growing season would render sugar-beet production unprofitable in 

 many northern areas, but the sugar beet readily adapts itself to many 

 adverse conditions, and usually in those sections where the growing 

 season is short the sugar beet grows rapidly and stores sugar in great 

 abundance. In fact, some of our most satisfactory sugar-beet sections 

 are to be found in the more northern States. 



During the period just preceding the beet harvest the difference in 

 temperature between day and night is one of the important condi- 

 tions in the development and storage of sugar in the beet root. The 

 young beet plant begins very early to store sugar, but its maximum 

 activity along this line is reached in the fall, when in most of the 

 beet-growing areas the difference in temperature between night and 

 day is most apparent. This difference is apparently one of the con- 

 ditions necessary for the proper elaboration and storage of sugar and 

 is a limiting factor in the production of sugar-beet roots sufficiently 

 rich in sugar to make them profitable for sugar-making purposes. It 

 is probable that the absence of cool nights at the end of the growing 

 season permits the continued growth and development of the beets, 

 thereby using up the sugar in plant growth instead of storing it. 



