34 BULLETIN 995, U. S. DEPABTMEXT OF AGBICULTUBE. 
to handle both crops there should be no serious difficulty in produc- 
ing both sugar beets and tobacco, especially if these crops are pro- 
duced on comparatively small areas on the individual farm. It may 
be found, also, that these crops will rotate one with the other to the 
advantage of both. 
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 dis- 
eases affecting potatoes attack sugar beets also; this is notably true 
of the scab. When the price of potatoes is high the tendency in the 
especially good potato areas is to increase the potato acreage and to 
diminish the sugar-beet acreage correspondingly. The chief danger 
is that when an extra-large potato crop is harvested the price usually 
drops, and the results are somewhat disappointing. It should be 
noted in this connection that the prices paid for sugar beets are 
fixed in practically all cases before the seed is planted. The returns 
from this crop depend not only upon the yield, but upon the quality 
of the beets produced and upon the wholesale price of sugar. As 
already indicated, sugar beets and potatoes form a part of a satis- 
factory rotation, but neither of these crops should immediately suc- 
ceed 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, pro- 
vided 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 mar- 
keting 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 or because it is not fed locally to advantage; but 
in cases where the alfalfa is used locally to advantage or where 
the markets are accessible it may compete strongly with the sugar 
beet and may exclude the latter to such an extent that the beet acreage 
will be so small that the profitable operation of a sugar mill is not 
possible ; for a sugar mill should have a sufficient quantity of beets to 
