SUGAR BEET IN N.Z.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 109, 25 May 1937, Page 8

SUGAR BEET IN N.Z.

— Prvta Aasociation.)

Good Yieldt _ from Trial Plantings GOVERNMENT'S INTEREST

(B* TaleEraoh

• WELLINGTON, Last Night.. "During the past season, -the Department of Agriculture has been carrying out experiments on the growing of sugar beet in different parts of New Zealand and the total of 29 trials has involved the sowing of approximately 20 acres in this crop," stated the Minister of Agriculture, the J£Lon. W Lee Martin, tonight. "The establishment of the beet sugar industry is at present under consideration by the Government and my colleague, the Minister of Finance, is investigating the industry during a visit to Great Britain, before anything else is done. However, it has to be proved that we can grow sugar beet satisfactorily in this country, and eome idea of the costs and labour involved on the farm has to be determined. It is with this purpose in view that these experiments were conducted, and the crops are now being weighed and aifctlysed by mv officers.

' "Hitherto, individual trials .with sugar beet have indicated that the crop can be grown succeBsfully under our conditions, but the trials now being conducted are on a larger scale and several of them occupy over an acre of ground, so that they are truly xepresentative of actual farming conditions. Moreover, the -varieties grown are those which, from long experience, have been shown by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany to be the best in Gfeat Britain. "Unfortunately, the weather conditions during "the past season have not been favourable to most of the crops and, in the main, considerably more cultivation than usual has been necessary to keep down the weeds. In spite of such adverse conditions, .however, the preliminary survey of the experiments just concluded, has indicated that fairly high yields of sugar will be obtained from most of the areas. Al* though the crops have. not yet reached full maturity, the yields of' topped and washed roots in the best of twelve trials^ ranged from 11 to 21 tons an acre, while the content of sugar ranges from 10 to 21 per cent. "The results in these trials already compare favourably with the yields of sucrose from the prize-winning crops grown in Great Britain. It is not pOssible at this stage to give any indication of the actual returns or costs involved, because the crops are not yet ready for harvesting. Under working conditions, however, a factory would now be commencing to draw supplies, and it is therefore necessary to investigate the yields of sugar over the period during which a -factory would normally be operating. "I anticipate the collection of much valuable data from the experiments, although, in order to give more reliabie information as regards seasonal conditions, it is likely that they will have to be repeated during another year." *