BEET-ROOT GROWING.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 7066, 25 July 1906, Page 2

BEET-ROOT GROWING.

Yesterday a Waikato Times representative had a chat with Mr Frederick Lang, of Matamata, on the advantages of growing sugar beet, both for fodder and sugar extraction. Mr Lang is conversant with all the intricacies of the nutter, for he went in largely for beets in his rative country, Mil gary. In his opinion, the Waikato lands are admirably "adapted for beet culture, and would, in naturai course, be themselves vastly improved, by the better cultivation necessary, for the production of the more popular fodders. For instance, the farmer at present seldom cultivates at a greater depth than five inches, but for the production of beet it would bo necessary to cultivate at least 12 inches deep. To obtain this depth without turning the subsoil on top, Mr Lang says, the practice in his wountry is to cultivate each ye ir two to three inches deeper than in the previous year, thereby thoroughly mixiDg the top and subsoils and obtaining better quality tilth and depth. After the crop of boot the land is in far better condition for other crops than it otherwise would have heen. Mr Lahg unhesitatingly declares that in actual practice it has been fourd that crops of oats, wheat, turnips and the like, are, through this methodj of working, greatly improve! in qualiry aud give larger averagi s than under present conditions. From the popular crops, Mr Lang contends the farmer does not reap sufficient return for his outlay to warrant his adopting this deep cultivation, but from beet the return would entirely obviate this difficulty. Apirt from this aspecc and the prospect of sugar extracting works being started in this district, the beet is ideal cattle feed and would provide ample winter store. The average yield per acre would be, at a low estimate, about 12 tons, experimental plots in this district reaching up to even If) tons. When supplying the factory the farmer receives back the residue after the saccharine has been extracted. The daily allowance of this residue per beast would be about 501 bgj an acre would therefore kpop 100 cattle nearly five days. The better method of feeding, however, would be to mix the beet, or its residue after extraotinn, with chaff, hay and straw. Mr tang is very confident of the grand resub:, to be obtained from systematic cultivation of this root, and predicts that in course of time, up-to-date factories will bo started to deal with the sugar beet on somewhat similar lines to the organisation existing in the dairy industry. The returns, if sufficient areas were brought in to ensure economy iu treatment would bo even greater than the return from dairying, which would not be interfered with, but rather assisted.