GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN CALIFORNIA. 43 
are represented. The cost per ton in these groups ranges from 
$4 to $5.50. The growers for the three areas studied received 
an average of $5.88 a ton for their beets, which means a profit of 38 
cents a ton for the $5.50 group and a loss of 12 cents a ton for the 
$6 group. At this rate, 19 per cent of the farmers, producing about 
11 per cent of the total tonnage, are not making any profit growing 
sugar beets. They are living on the interest on their investment. 
Tt will be noticed that, generally speaking, those producing high 
yields per acre had low costs per ton and, those who produced low 
yields per acre had high costs per ton. In the case of the $6 and 
the $6.50 groups, an analysis shows that the farms in the former 
class grew an average of 146 acres of beets per farm, while those in 
the latter grew only 49 acres of beets per farm. It is usually found 
that the larger the acreage in beets the more efficiently certain opera- 
0 
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w 
3 
° 
c 
v 
— 
°o 
c 
w 
o 
= 
2 
z 
raaaee 
_ eae 
featen #300 350 4.00 450 500 550 600 650 700 150 600 
vVieLo 423.06 16.68 1644 14.72 13.89 1.48 8.48 9.44 8.20 1.99 5.716 9.01 10.17 
Fic. 25.—Curve showing the distribution of operators and the relationship of yield 
per acre to cost per ton. 
tions can be performed and the lower the cost will be per ton. The 
yield undoubtedly is a very important factor affecting the cost per 
ton. 
AVERAGE RETURNS AND MARGIN ABOVE COST. 
In all the areas studied beets are bought on contract by the sugar 
factories. At Los Angeles beets were Tid for on the sugar test. 
Beets testing 11 per cent sugar and under brought $3.50 per ton, with 
an increase of 25 cents per ton for each additional 1 per cent above 
11 per cent until 15 per cent was reached. Above 15 per cent an in- 
crease of 30 cents a ton was paid for each additional 1 per cent. A 
bonus of 50 cents a ton was added to this amount for the 1916 crop. 
When the wholesale price of sugar was raised beyond expectation 
during the crop year an additional bonus of 50 cents a ton was given 
to the grower, making a total bonus of $1 per ton. 
