THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN 1920. 35 



insure a run of at least 100 days each year, though the average run for 

 1920 was only 91 days. (Table IV, p. 6.) 



Sugar beets may be grown in rotation with alfalfa to good ad- 

 vantage under certain conditions, and our studies have shown the 

 advantage of these conditions in several instances. This is espe- 

 cially true if the farmer looks upon the alfalfa crop as a soil- 

 improving crop as well as a crop from which direct satisfactory 

 returns may be expected. In such cases alfalfa may be grown 

 two or three years, and at the end of this period the last crop of 

 alfalfa is plowed under for the improvement of the soil, thus put- 

 ting it in good condition for one or two crops of sugar beets. It 

 is not desirable to grow sugar beets immediately after old alfalfa, 

 because the old alfalfa roots are large and woody and interfere 

 seriously with cultivation. It is better to follow old alfalfa with 

 a noncultivated crop, such as small grain, which in turn may be 

 followed by sugar beets. 



Frmt. — In several sugar-beet areas fruit has been found to be 

 a competing crop. In several instances the sugar beet has been 

 eliminated or shifted to other areas, or reduced in area below the 

 point of a profitable mill run. It is sometimes possible to grow 

 considerable areas of beets in orchards when the trees are small, 

 but as the orchards get older and the trees increase in spread of 

 branches and roots the vacant space between them must necessarily 

 become smaller and smaller until finally the sugar beet is excluded. 

 When fruit growing has become general in a sugar-beet area, as 

 has been the case in several instances in certain localities, sugar- 

 beet growing and diversified farming in general have been prac- 

 tically eliminated. Occasionally some misfortune overtakes the 

 fruit industry, and the area again returns to general farming, 

 including sugar beets. In one locality studied the entire cycle has 

 been passed through, and the fruit growers are now removing their 

 trees and returning to general farm practice, including the grow- 

 ing of sugar beets. 



FARM EQUIPMENT. 



The equipment on the sugar-beet farm is a matter of vital im- 

 portance. It covers a wide range but may be grouped under four 

 general heads, namely, soil and water, implements, live stock, and 

 labor. If a farm is lacking in any of the essential parts of the 

 equipment, and if these parts can not be supplied, successful sugar- 

 beet growing is not possible. The equipment differs to some extent 

 in different localities, especially between the humid and irrigated 

 sections. Soil and water are not usually listed as a part of the 

 farm equipment, but are included here in order to emphasize their 

 importance in crop production. 



