36 BULLETIN 473, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



was the highest for the decade, while the value per acre, $44, was the 

 lowest for the decade. The average value per acre for the entire 

 period was $58. 



The beets for German factories are obtained from three sources, 

 and are defined as factory beets, stockholders', and purchased beets. 

 The factory beets are grown on land owned or leased by the factory ; 

 the stockholders' beets are grown by individual members of agri- 

 cultural societies, who own the most of the sugar factories; and the 

 purchased beets are bought in the open market and are grown by 

 independent growers and stockholders not on contract. Beets grown 

 on contract are usually from one kind of seed, supplied gratis by the 

 factory with which the contract is made. 



A striking comparison is shown in the production of beets by the 

 three classes of beet growers. The percentage of area cultivated by 

 each class of growers was practically the same as the percentage of 

 production of beets by each class. Expressed as percentages of the 

 total area under beets, the area grown by the factories was 6.5 per 

 cent, stockholders' and other contract beets 39.5 per cent, and inde- 

 pendent growers 54 per cent. The quantity of beets produced was 

 6.7 per cent by the factories, 39.4 per cent by the stockholders, and 

 53.9 per cent by the independent growers. The average productions 

 per acre by the three classes of growers were remarkably uniform. 

 The factories produced an average for the decade 1903-4 to 1912-13 

 of 13.04 tons per acre, stockholders 12.72 tons, and independent 

 growers 12.75 tons. 



The area and production of beets and sugar have gradually in- 

 creased for a number of years, but the number of sugar factories 

 has gradually decreased. This would indicate that the factories 

 have been increased in capacity. During the decade ending with. 

 1912-13 the factories decreased from 384 in 1903-4 to 342 in 1912-13. 

 In 1874-75 there were 332 factories, which gradually increased to 

 468 in 1893-94 and then decreased to 342 in 1912-13, or a loss of 126 

 factories in the last 20 years. The average number of factories in 

 operation during the decade ending with 1912-13 were 362, compared 

 with 456 for the preceding decade. The average annual output of 

 sugar per factory during the decade ending with 1912-13 was 6.170 

 tons, compared with 4.372 tons during the previous decade. The 

 production of sugar per factory increased from 4,428 tons in 1901-5 

 to 8,484 in 1912-13. The production of raw sugar increased from 

 2,008,932 tons in 1903-4 to 2,901,564 in 1912-13, or an annual average 

 for that period of 2,233,553 tons, compared with 1,993.509 tons dur- 

 ing the preceding 10-year period. The production of raw sugar per 

 ton of beets varied from 288 pounds in 1903-4 to 316 in 1912-13. 

 The highest average production per ton of beets during the period 

 1903-4 to 1912-13 was 335 pounds, compared with 317 pounds for 



