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 II. — California sugar-beet acreage and yield. 
Census. 
Year. 
Acres in 
beets. 
Total pro- 
duction 
(tons). 
Yield per 
acre 
(tons). 
Beet acre- 
age in 
United 
States. 
Total pro- 
duction in 
United 
States 
(tons). 
Twelfth 
1899 
1909 
41, 242 
78, 957 
356, 535 
845, 191 
8.6 
10.7 
110, 170 
364, 093 
793,353 
3, 932, 857 
Thirteenth . 
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 III.) 
Table III.— Acreage and yield of sugar oeets in California. 
Year.. 
Acres 
harvested. 
Total 
production. 
Yield 
per acre. 
Sugar 
made. 
1910 
90,500 
99,545 
111,416 
127,610 
104,000 
122,737 
141,097 
154, 700 
Short tons. 
923,100 
1,037,283 
1,004,328 
1,138,003 
1,126,700 
1,249,111 
1,462,895 
1,318,400 
Short tons. 
10.20 
10.42 
9.01 
8.92 
10.83 
10.20 
10.36 
8.53 
Short tons. 
139, 890 
161,300 
19J 1 
1912 
158,904 
1913 
171,208 
1914 
169,004 
1915 
195, 343 
1916 
236,322 
1917 
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 IY.) 
