THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 33 
Potatoes. — In certain areas studied, the potato under present con- 
ditions is one of the strongest competing crops with sugar beets. 
Where these crops are grown in rotation, however, the results, from 
the standpoint of yield, are satisfactory. Unfortunately, certain 
diseases affecting potatoes attack sugar beets also; this is notably 
true of the scab. With the price of potatoes higher than for many 
years past, the tendency in the especially good potato area has been 
to increase the potato acreage and diminish the sugar-beet acreage 
correspondingly. The chief danger is that when the potato crop is 
harvested the price may be lower and the results somewhat disappoint- 
ing. It should be noted in this connection that the prices paid for 
sugar beets are in practically all cases fixed before the seed is planted. 
The returns from this crop, therefore, depend only upon the yield 
and quality of the beets produced. As already indicated, sugar 
beets and potatoes form a part of a satisfactory rotation, but neither 
of these crops should immediately succeed or follow the other because 
of the diseases that are common to both plants. There should be 
one or two years of intervening crops, such as small grains or alfalfa. 
Alfalfa. — In some localities studied, alfalfa has appeared to be a 
strong competing crop with sugar beets. This is true in part because 
of the tendency to leave alfalfa sod without breaking for a number 
of years, thereby making a very long rotation or, in some cases, what 
amounts to no rotation ; for example, certain areas have been found 
in which alfalfa has remained undisturbed in some fields for upward 
of 20 years. Alfalfa is an inexpensive crop to produce, provided a 
good stand is obtained. This is not difficult if the ground is well 
prepared and properly handled at seeding time. After the alfalfa 
has become established the expense of maintaining the crop is slight, 
and the chief expense in connection with alfalfa production consists 
in irrigating in certain sections and in harvesting and marketing 
the crop. 
In some sections where alfalfa grows well it is not a competing 
crop with sugar beets, because of the remoteness of these areas from 
the market, but in cases where the alfalfa is used locally to advantage 
or where the markets are accessible it competes strongly with the 
sugar beet and may exclude the latter to such an extent that beet 
production is so reduced that the operation of a sugar mill is not 
possible. A sugar mill should have a sufficient quantity of beets to 
insure a run of at least 100 days each year, whereas the average 
run for 1917 was only 74 days. (Table IV, p. 34.) Sugar beets 
may be grown in rotation with alfalfa to good advantage under 
certain conditions, and our studies have shown the advantage of these 
conditions in several instances. This is especially true if the farmer 
looks upon the alfalfa crop as a soil-improving crop as well as a crop 
from which direct satisfactory returns may be expected. In such 
