THE BEET-SUGAR INDUSTRY IN 1920. 35 
insure a run of at least 100 days each year, though the average run for 
I9i>() was only 91 days. (Table IV, p. 6.) 
Sugar beets may be grown in rotation with alfalfa to good ad- 
vantage under certain conditions, and our studies have shown the 
advantage of these conditions in several instances. This is espe- 
cially 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 cases alfalfa may be grown 
two or three years, and at the end of this period the last crop of 
alfalfa is plowed under for the improvement of the soil, thus put- 
ting it in good condition for one or two crops of sugar beets. It 
is not desirable to grow sugar beets immediately after old alfalfa, 
because the old alfalfa roots are large and woody and interfere 
seriously with cultivation. It is better to follow old alfalfa with 
a noncultivated crop, such as small grain, which in turn may be 
followed by sugar beets. 
Fruit. — In several sugar-beet areas fruit has been found to be 
a competing crop. In several instances the sugar beet has been 
eliminated or shifted to other areas, or reduced in area below the 
point of a profitable mill run. It is sometimes possible to grow 
considerable areas of beets in orchards when the trees are small, 
but as the orchards get older and the trees increase in spread of 
branches and roots the vacant space between them must necessarily 
become smaller and smaller until finally the sugar beet is excluded. 
When fruit growing has become general in a sugar-beet area, as 
has been the case in several instances in certain localities, sugar- 
beet growing and diversified farming in general have been prac- 
tically eliminated. Occasionally some misfortune overtakes the 
fruit industry, and the area again returns to general farming, 
including sugar beets. In one locality studied the entire cycle has 
been passed through, and the fruit growers are now removing their 
trees and returning to general farm practice, including the grow- 
ing of sugar beets. 
FARM EQUIPMENT. 
The equipment on the sugar-beet farm is a matter of vital im- 
portance. It covers a wide range but may be grouped under four 
general heads, namely, soil and water, implements, live stock, and 
labor. If a farm is lacking in any of the essential parts of the 
equipment, and if these parts can not be supplied, successful sugar- 
beet growing is not possible. The equipment differs to some extent 
in different localities, especially between the humid and irrigated 
sections. Soil and water are not usually listed as a part of the 
farm equipment, but are included here in order to emphasize their 
importance in crop production. 
