6 BULLETIN 760, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The industry has grown rapidly. During the 5-year period from 
1913 to 1917 over 20 per cent of the entire acreage of sugar beets in 
the United States was grown in California. In 10 years, 1899-1909 
(see Table II) the acreage almost doubled, while the tonnage in- 
creased more than 100 per cent. The yield per acre was also in- 
creased 2.1 tons, or about 24 per cent. In the same period the total 
acreage in the United States had increased about three times, while 
the total yield had become five times as great as in 1899. 
TaBLE I1.—California sugar-beet acreage and yield. 
Total pro- 
Acresin | Potal pro- | Yield per Bectiacy © | duction in 
Census. Year. 3 Ge af = duction acre Unit Ml United 
: (tons). (tons). States - States 
E (tons). 
GIN ROUTH. ba Ge Sa eee ee ee aren 1899 41, 242 356, 535 8.6 110, 170 793, 353 
MIVA Gertler syste eee se ey eierertoeyele tees 1909 78, 957 845, 191 10.7 364, 093 38, 932, 857 
The following data from the Crop Reporter of the United States 
Department of Agriculture show the acreage and yield of sugar beets 
in California from 1910 to 1917. (Table ITI.) 
Tasie ITI].—Acreage and yield of sugar beets in California. 
Acres Total Yield Sugar 
Z 
Year. harvested. | production. | peracre. | made. 
Short tons. | Short tons.| Short tons. 
10. 20 
90,500 923, 100 139, 890 
99,54 1,037, 283 10. 42 161, 300 
111, 416 1,004, 328 9.01 158, 904 
127,610 1, 138, 003 8.92 171, 208 
104, 000 1, 126, 700 10. 83 169, 004 
122, 737 1,249, 111 10. 20 195,343 
141, 097 1, 462; 895 10. 36 236 , 322 
154, 700 1,318, 400 8.53 200, 100 
AGRICULTURE OF AREAS STUDIED. 
CLIMATE. 
The climate of the region studied is characterized by two seasons, 
one wet and the other dry. Practically all of the precipitation oc- 
curs during the period from November to March. The average 
annual rainfall for the three areas is fairly uniform, ranging from 
14.06 to 15.73 inches. However, in 1915 and 1916 the rainfall was 
in excess of the average. Records were obtained covering both the 
1915 and 1916 crop years at Los Angeles and Oxnard. In this way 
the effect of the fluctuation in the annual precipitation has been 
considered. (See Table IV.) 
