New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-08-03
BEEF SUGAR.
A TOUR THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.


SACRAMENTO BEET SUGAR FACTORY,
iFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OFrHE IRlsUNhI
SACRAMENTO. May 20.--The beet grows so
,reftn southern California that do not oouot the o'"e
VIII make In few years very large quahu'y oi oeo'
Ibave seen beets that had grown for is months
and wherever in the State found thrifty farmer
there fonnd that he soed his cows on beets Win
great ease and profit. region in which green crops
grow all year round is, Of course the pes' ior TINS
manner OF keeping stock. In an Eastern STATE, lane
who soil their cattle cut green food Tor them oh
anr,nS sx or at most eight months in the year but
here ron may cut in every month the most spccueh'
vegetables and grasses for the beasts You neeo only
rant beets and alfalfa But II was OF beet sugar tha'
hogan 10 speak There are, so far as know, out wv
baet sugar manufactures now In California. one OF
thcse lies four miles OF Sacramento 1t very com
petely furnished and its manager is German engineer
OF apuroyed experience and skill in the business VINO
has been brought out by the Company walked win
him. yesterday the factory and later roue over INC
beet fields The machinery used Is OF the latest anu pest
kind; much Of IL was imported from Germany; some
art have been made In this Stats from the managers
drawings -. ,.s, o,,,,,rn
IdoD't mean TO describe TO you the machinery ITSELF
Some parts OF it, Lord Dundreary would say, no fe
low could he expected to understand What struck me
here rs il has other California manufacturers Is the
great they have ia not being Obliged 10 use
any precautions against frost cold and snow haehh-
cry must of course, be well bedded and braced; but
u
Stale may be as slight and airy please, and thus
Largo expense is saved Here for instance the water
used in the different processes is pumped up into the
upper story from artesan well $50 rect deep Inc
pump stands In shed the water-ppes run up on
the outside Of the building The storagehouse Tor Deets
a by no means such frostprO0f structure as 1t would
have 20 be with u.s. 1t to me that these adyant
ages arising out Of mild climate will do somewhat
how much, cannot tell-to c0unterbalance the MghT
price of labor this country. In other respects the
20 a
successul culture Of the beet and the development In IL
of the greatest quantity Of saeeharine matter In the
first place. the seasons in this State are certain anu
Sharply marked. Tie rains begin in November beets'
which In France are between April "a and May TO-
are here sown In January and February Voeicker, a
writer OF authority on this subject states that the more
rain fails on tho land during tho first two
months Of the growth Of the beet, the bet
ter the crop is likely to be-h dry season
follows Now California all tho rainfall OF the year
ccurs from November 10 April and after Aprilthat Is
20 say when the beet begins to require dry season. 70
develop its saccharne qualycomes here the dry sea-
son. when tlin absolutely unknown that during the
Summer the farmers leave their grain piled up In bags
along the railroads, often for two months The rainfall
and the absence rain with precision and GER
tsinty. ut the proper times, for the beet
A PROFITABLE INDUSTRY.
The Sacramento Beet Sugar Company have expended,
In buildings machinery, and $40 acres Of choice land
ssOOo They have rented other land that they have
hope TO get average of 10 tuns OF bees to the acre. Ii
France they get to the acre. in England
reported they got IS uns TO the acre. AtChas
worth I'm Illinois, and also in Wisconsin, believe they
cot but 10 80 the am satisfied that the meth
DDS of culture can be improved in California. Deep
plOwing hardly understood as yet In this State; ano
thus the real wealth and producing OF the soil are
not utilized the beet here yiedsSo the managers
told me-a much larger percentage aof sugar
than in Europe; and with the favorable eli
aud Vfch zfrru oOil.
Prise me- The field culture and general work OF
the farm arc dono by Chinese labOrers The manager
has perfected seedsOwer which sows twelve rows at
once aud is believed 10 improvement all ma
chimes used for this purpose hitherto. The seed this
year up very evenly and regularly, and OF course
this Important advantage. The beets are Trimmed
IN the rows weoded, aud dug by hand In Europe a
digger is used but this has not yet been introduced
here The Chinese who work in gangs, each gang un-
leader chosen by themselves, receive s. per week
For this they feed themselves the Company paying a
cook for every 30 They furnish, Also their own
bedding aud cooking utensils, and aro lodged in very
cheap sbantes, the climate making substantial houses
for them needess. The 100 acres planted this year
viii employ factory about eight months, and the
manager hopes 10 least 900 barrels Of sugar
this year Only the whtest sugar Is made. A tun OF
eets ought 10 YIELD told barrel OF sugar. The
refuse Of thebeet fed to stock and saw cows leay-
iug green grass and grain to eat this basasse milk
man told me that cows fed this refuse made good
butter and milk but .hould think it would be found
especially valuable for fattenng cattle For this it is
ianeh used IN France little grain being fed only for
few days before The beasts are sent to the shambes,
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARMERS.
France the German Enr,re. and Austria, now pro-
uce neaily anuch sugar all the tropical world ex-
rorts vet tho industry in Europe only from the
beginning Of this century. As population increases in
California see no reason to doubt that beet sugar max
ing viii become one Of most profitable and one Of the
most important industries In the state That IL has had al
Important beneficial effect upon the preservation OF the
land and largely increased the wealth Of the farmers
7bohaye engaged in IT, in France and Germany, is well
nown aud in California, where much Of the land is
-ear after year with wheat, IL viii be very great
dvautage 10 farmers and encourage more solid and
iriiy style of farming 20 introduce this culture. AT
present necessary for manufacturer TO raise his
own beets just the vineyardst makes his own wine,
Mt sOunder system viii come in, factories increase,
uer which the manufacturer will contract for beets
rown by farmers In some parts Of Europe this Is done
10 great extent and the farmer is guaranteed certain
price per tun for his beets, the condition that he
conforms in field work 20 certain specified rules Of
the manufacturer At the Sacramento Works, the beet
seed cost this year $1,000 important item, which Will
be saved year. for the Company will raise their own
seed The two manufactures have been at work for a
season only previous this or this first season
was experimental but have heard, in san Francisco,
not manufacturers that the profit in the Invest
meRt was so large satisfy the high rates Of
Interest which prevail here and 20 promise returns
andsOme that II they realized, there win soon be
Cozens Of beet sugar factories where there are but
two In the San Joaquin Valley alone there are pro-
ably 1000 900 acres admirably suited to beet culture.
Toe soil Is light and yet rich, easily penetrated oy the
plow and needing only deep culture TO produce sure
crop even in dry years The Chinese who excellent
IN everything which requires minute care and patient
toll VIII make the very best field hands for beet farming
.iofr ,nonner of Ife-fbeV furnish ALWAYS