SUGAR BEET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1940, Page 9

SUGAR BEET

BRITISH CROP. > BRITISH FARMERS FILL 66 SHIPS. More than half Britain’s annual wartime requirements of sugar will be supplied this year by her own sugar beet industry, thanks to a record 1939 crop, yielding 500,000 tons of white sugar. Besides providing each citizen with 23 pounds of sugar, this will release 66 cargo steamers for importing essential goods which cannot be produced in Britain And the cargo space of 40 more ships will be saved because of the cruder sugar extracted —molasses, for cattle food—from the home-grown beet. Thus the taxpayer, who in the past has been called upon to subsidise the industry, is now drawing ample dividends from his investment. Nearly 350,000 acres of beet were grown last year, compared with practically none during 1914-18, and to make sure of another record yield the Government have guaranteed farmers a substantially increased price for the 1940 crop. The average yield of beet is about eight tons per acre, and 61 tons of beet give one ton of sugar. Sugar beet pulp, left over after the sugar has been extracted, is another valuable by-product as it can be fed to all classes of stock in place of cereal meals. The beet tops, which are cut off in the field, are excellent for sheep. With a little grazing, one acre of tops will feed 100 ewes for a week, and if not needed immediately the tops can be converted into nutritious silage.