54 BULLETIN 995, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



sliding scale contract is offered the grower, a flat-rate contract is 

 available, if desired. 



Tare. — One of the important factors in handling sugar beets is 

 that of tare, and it forms an important clause in the contract. Tare 

 consists of two distinct parts, one of which is the dirt which clings 

 to the beet roots when delivered, and the other is the part of the 

 crown that is sometimes left on the beet when the beet is topped. 

 Tare is obtained by taking a sample from a load of beets and weigh- 

 ing it carefully. The dirt is then removed from this sample, usually 

 by means of a stiff brush, and the beets, if not properly topped, are 

 correctly topped and the cleaned, topped roots again weighed. The 

 difference between the original weight of the sample and the clean, 

 properly topped beets is the tare. This is usually reduced to a per- 

 centage, and the entire load is tared on the basis of the sample tared. 

 Most sugar-beet tare houses are provided with scales that give a 

 direct reading of the percentage of tare for each sample as it is 

 weighed. 



AREA COMPETITION. 



Competition for acreage between adjacent sugar-beet areas secured 

 by different sugar companies may or may not be of advantage to the 

 beet-sugar industry as a whole, and consequently may or may not 

 be beneficial to beet growers residing within those areas. If the 

 acreage in a given area is sufficient to support two mills, for example, 

 the competition in securing acreage for each of these mills may, if 

 properly handled, stimulate the development of the industry in that 

 area. If, on the other hand, a sugar mill is established in a given 

 area having a limited sugar-beet acreage, due regard being had for 

 proper crop rotation, and a second mill is built in the same area, 

 the results may be disastrous to both of the mills and may result 

 in retarding or preventing the development of the beet-sugar in- 

 dustry in that locality. 



In all lines of business, competition is desirable under certain con- 

 ditions, but in the beet-sugar industry a certain acreage of beets is 

 necessary to enable a sugar mill to operate on a profitable basis. If 

 a competing mill draws upon the beet acreage in a given locality to 

 such an extent that the raw material is not sufficient to provide a 

 satisfactory and profitable run for either of the mills, one or both 

 of them must necessarily suspend operations. This result must lead 

 to disappointment and financial loss on the part of those who have 

 invested in the mills, and it deprives the growers of the benefits of 

 sugar-beet production, inasmuch as the closing of the mills must 

 necessarily leave the growers without a market for their product. 



