THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IX 1920. 11 
This is notably the case in nearly all parts of the southern United 
States. Occasionally areas are found in these warmer zones where 
sugar beets may be grown successfully. This is true in southern 
California and in some parts of Arizona and New Mexico, where the 
adverse condition of temperature is overcome by growing the beets 
during the so-called winter months, or at least by getting the plants 
started in the winter or early spring. In some sections the elevation 
and the temperature of the prevailing wind are sufficient to modify 
the climate so that sugar beets may be produced with profit. If the 
winter months are too cold for the production of beets and the sum- 
mers too warm for the proper storage of sugar in the roots, a limit- 
ing factor is established which renders profitable sugar-beet growing 
impossible with any known varieties. Should it become desirable to 
extend the culture of sugar beets into the warmer sections of the 
country, it is possible that suitable varieties could be developed that 
would be profitable from the standpoint of both tonnage and quality. 
Another important consideration is the fact that high temperatures 
tend to increase spoilage. This may be overcome by passing the beets 
through the mill as rapidly as they are harvested and by harvesting 
the roots as soon as the}^ are matured. Regarding the lower tem- 
peratures, sugar beets have been successfully grown in practically 
all of our Northern States, and several beet-sugar mills are operated 
successfully in Canada. It is apparent, therefore, that the lower 
temperatures do not constitute a limiting factor in sugar-beet grow- 
ing in any of our agricultural sections. It would seem that a short 
growing season would render sugar-beet production unprofitable in 
many northern areas, but the sugar beet readily adapts itself to many 
adverse conditions, and usually in those sections where the growing 
season is short the sugar beet grows rapidly and stores sugar in great 
abundance. In fact, some of our most satisfactory sugar-beet sections 
are to be found in the more northern States. 
During the period just preceding the beet harvest the difference in 
temperature between day and night is one of the important condi- 
tions in the development and storage of sugar in the beet root. The 
young beet plant begins very early to store sugar, but its maximum 
activity along this line is reached in the fall, when in most of the 
beet-growing areas the difference in temperature between night and 
day is most apparent. This difference is apparently one of the con- 
ditions necessary for the proper elaboration and storage of sugar and 
is a limiting factor in the production of sugar-beet roots sufficiently 
rich in sugar to make them profitable for sugar-making purposes. It 
is probable that the absence of cool nights at the end of the growing- 
season permits the continued growth and development of the beets, 
thereby using up the sugar in plant growth instead of storing it, 
