54 BULLETIN 995, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
sliding scale contract is offered the grower, a flat-rate contract is 
available, if desired. 
Tare. — One of the important factors in handling sugar beets is 
that of tare, and it forms an important clause in the contract. Tare 
consists of two distinct parts, one of which is the dirt which clings 
to the beet roots when delivered, and the other is the part of the 
crown that is sometimes left on the beet when the beet is topped. 
Tare is obtained by taking a sample from a load of beets and weigh- 
ing it carefully. The dirt is then removed from this sample, usually 
by means of a stiff brush, and the beets, if not properly topped, are 
correctly topped and the cleaned, topped roots again weighed. The 
difference between the original weight of the sample and the clean, 
properly topped beets is the tare. This is usually reduced to a per- 
centage, and the entire load is tared on the basis of the sample tared. 
Most sugar-beet tare houses are provided with scales that give a 
direct reading of the percentage of tare for each sample as it is 
weighed. 
AREA COMPETITION. 
Competition for acreage between adjacent sugar-beet areas secured 
by different sugar companies may or may not be of advantage to the 
beet-sugar industry as a whole, and consequently may or may not 
be beneficial to beet growers residing within those areas. If the 
acreage in a given area is sufficient to support two mills, for example, 
the competition in securing acreage for each of these mills may, if 
properly handled, stimulate the development of the industry in that 
area. If, on the other hand, a sugar mill is established in a given 
area having a limited sugar-beet acreage, due regard being had for 
proper crop rotation, and a second mill is built in the same area, 
the results may be disastrous to both of the mills and may result 
in retarding or preventing the development of the beet-sugar in- 
dustry in that locality. 
In all lines of business, competition is desirable under certain con- 
ditions, but in the beet-sugar industry a certain acreage of beets is 
necessary to enable a sugar mill to operate on a profitable basis. If 
a competing mill draws upon the beet acreage in a given locality to 
such an extent that the raw material is not sufficient to provide a 
satisfactory and profitable run for either of the mills, one or both 
of them must necessarily suspend operations. This result must lead 
to disappointment and financial loss on the part of those who have 
invested in the mills, and it deprives the growers of the benefits of 
sugar-beet production, inasmuch as the closing of the mills must 
necessarily leave the growers without a market for their product. 
