232 The Sugar-Beet in America 
beets at a low cost. In unusual times and when sugar is 
scarce and high priced, it may be manufactured at a 
profit even if the beets are not raised in an efficient manner 
and if the cost of production is high; but if conditions 
throughout the world become balanced, beet-sugar will 
not be able to compete with cane-sugar, even though the 
former may enjoy a limited protection. The life of the 
industry depends on the efficiency of the beet farmer, who 
should seek in every way to reduce costs rather than to 
increase them. The process of extracting sugar from beets 
has reached a high state of perfection. The farmer should 
try to make his methods equally perfect. 
The constant friction between the farmer and the sugar 
company regarding the price of beets causes the farmer 
to make his costs seem as high as possible, whereas the 
manufacturer wants them to be low. This leads to con- 
siderable discrepancy in estimates of costs and makes it 
more difficult to determine actual costs. The profit- 
sharing plans for paying for beets, which are being dis- 
cussed more each year, will necessitate definite cost figures 
being obtained, not only for the making of sugar, but also 
for the raising of beets. Farmer and manufacturer alike 
should be interested in keeping the cost of both phases of 
the industry as low as possible in order that each may 
obtain the greatest profit. 
Practically the entire world’s supply of sugar under 
normal conditions comes from countries such as Cuba, 
Java, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and Russia, 
where labor is much cheaper than in the United States. 
If we are to produce sugar in competition, it is essential 
that our labor be made as efficient as possible by the use of 
