COSTS OF PRODUCING SUGAR BEETS 13 
The expansion of the sugar-beet crop may be limited in some 
areas by the character of its soil requirements. Regions of extremely 
sandy or gravelly soils are not adapted to the crop nor are regions 
having hardpan or very porous subsoils. However, these limitations 
are not important; for almost any type of soil that will produce good 
vields of other crops will yield beets, if properly cultivated and 
sufficiently supplied with moisture. 
An adequate supply of moisture is particularly requisite for the 
development of this crop. In the humid region of the United States 
a season in which the rainfall during the growing season is just suffi 
cient to maintain a healthy growth until near harvesting time, 
followed by a period of bright sunshiny days and cool nights 1s ideal. 
A marked difference between day and night temperatures at the end 
of the growing season is desirable for the proper production and stor- 
age of the sugar in the beet. Such conditions generally prevail in 
the sugar-beet section of the Central States. In the irrigated regions 
of the West the application of moisture is completely controlled, pro- 
viding the supply of water is sufficient. From two to four applica- 
ions of water are necessary for the production of a good crop. 
Unfavorable topography, particularly in the West, frequently 
limits profitable sugar-beet production. Many valleys could be 
utilized for growing beets were not the irrigable area available too 
small to support a factory and were not the expense of shipment for 
any considerable distance prohibitive. Hilly country is not usually 
satisfactory for growing beets, particularly if the hills are composed of 
soil that is likely to wash. The difficulty of drawing the heavy loads 
of beets over hills may also be a limiting factor. In irrigated sec- 
tions the land should have an even surface and be sufficiently sloping 
for the irrigation water to spread easily. 
The sugar beet, like other plants, during its period of growth, is 
subject to a number of plant diseases and pests. In some sections, 
particularly where crop rotation is not generally practiced, and in 
some seasons, diseases and pests have constituted an important limi- 
tation to production. Among the most destructive sugar-beet dis- 
sases are curly top, root rot, leaf spot, and “damping off.”” Curly 
top has so far been confined to the western beet area. This disease 
is carried from diseased to healthy plants by the so-called leaf 
hopper, which may appear in a given area destroying or stunting to 
a worthless size practically all beets for one season, and may be 
entirely absent from that area in the following season. Since the 
establishment of the sugar-beet industry, the damage to the crop 
from this disease has amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
The sugar-beet nematode, a minute worm-like organism attacking 
the beet root, is one of the most difficult pests to combat. In some 
seasons and In some areas other insects also are destructive to the 
crop. The United States Department of Agriculture and the State 
agricultural colleges have conducted extensive research in the 
cause and control of these pests with the result that some are well 
known and easily controlled, while others are still obscure. 
Despite such physical limitations, the possibility of greatly expand- 
ing the crop acreage undoubtedly remains. 
~ The economic limitations to the expansion of the crop are more 
important than the physical limitations. Chief among these is the 
competition of other crops.