The weekly Arizona miner., 1873-07-19
tcoMMuNrcATEDl The Culture and Manufacture of the Sugar Beet.


 portancc of the culture of the sugar beet, anC the manufacture ofsugar and alcohol there from, has received but little attention in tn, United States until recently, and tho great mass of our American farmers are, as yet, en tirely ignorant of the great field of remuner atlve labor opened tO them, in favorable To- calities, by the cultivation of the sugar beet
 Believing that the great valleys of the Colorado, Gila and Salt rivers are eminently adapted to the culture of the root, and the manufacture of sugar, by reason of the m- mense bodies of tillable land, the known fer tilty Of the soil, the favorable climate, and the unfaiing supply of water in those val. leys, the writer has taken some pains to con- dense from the agricultural report for 1869, and from the San Francisco Bulletin, some facts concerning the methods Of raising sugar beets and the extraction of the sugar, in hopes that our Arizona farmers will, at least, plant the seed and experiment on the facility of the production, and report to the MINER the results; and that, eventually, su- gar factories may be established and the bus. mess sf sugar making become, as it may be, one of the leading industries of Arizona
 Be.ts require light, fertile soil. abundant labor snd careful weeding-conditions which are compensated by the ensuing advantages of clean land, large and remunerative crop, and the preparation of the ground for wheat or other crops in rotation.
 In Europe, tue common practice is to crop the land in the following order beets, wheat, clover, oats, and beets again. The average yield ef beets is Is tons to the acre on ground which would yield 30 bushels of wheat per acre, and farmers keep one-fourth of their ar able laud in each of the above mentioned crops, changing each year, with profitable re- suits.
 Al meeting of the agricultural society of Compiegne, France, it was stated that the extent of land devoted to the cultivation of the sugar beet is one-twelfth of the whole of the land under cultivation, giving, annually, I5o,oVo tons of beet roots, which yielded 65,- Oo0 tons of sugar, and alcohol valued at S3,- o0,Ooo, while the pulp left amounted to 5lf,OOO tons on which 67 ,0O0 head of horned cattle are fattened for market; while the business gives employment to over 10000 men. In Belgium, Austria and Russia, the business IS already conducted on s large scale, and is constantly increasing.
 PREPARATION or THE SOIL.
 The land should be free from stones, be plowed deep and well narrowed, smoothed down with drag or roller, and the seed plant. ed with seed-drill, which, with a man and boy, will seed about 8 acres per day. Ex- perieDce has demonstrated that the white Si. lesian sugar beet is the most profitable of all the different varieties, and seed can be pro- cured at any wholesale seed store in quanti- ties to suit purchasers.
 Ground that has been previously cultivated Tn other crops IS much better for beet raising than new ground. Ashes, pulverized bones, lime, guano, and all phosphatic manures are very beneficial to the production of the beet, while sufficient supply of moisture to ger mlnate the seed and ensure the full growth Of the root is essential in the Spring, with warm, dry weather, after that stage, to ensure the fullest development of saccharine matter in the roots.
 The roots are thrown up when matured by ssubsoil blow, the tops and fibrous roots trimmed ofi and left in the field to be eaten by cattle, while the beets are taken to the mill, or stored in cellars or pits in the ground until needed.
 Of course, the process of sugar manufac. ture is expensive, the amount of machinery considerable, numbers of men being necessary about the works, and the business to be profitable, should be carried on upon rather large scale; consequently, 1t is customary for the sugar makers to own large planta- tations themselves, and to buy all the beets from the neighboring farmers that they are able to work up in a season having in con- nection with the works, distilleries for util- izing the liquors, and keeping large numbers oi cattle to eat the roots after they have passed through the hydraulic press Euro pean experience shows that the capacity of sugar works must be, at least, 5000 tons Der annum to ensure profit.
 The manufacture of beet sugar. in Eurone has been extensive for many years, while in the United States it is in it's infancy; but it is destined in few years to be one of the most important of our varied industries. Factories have been successfully operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wiscon- sin and California, aud in Canada.
 The following extracts from an article re- gently published in the Bulletin. show some facts worthy the attention of capitalists and farmers in all localities suitable for the pro- duction Of the beet, extensively:
 inasmuch as the prospects of succeas are great and The field of operation extensive, there are few branches of California industry at present attract ing more attention than the manufacture of beet sugar. The progress made by the Alvarado Beet Sugar Company since tue l5th of November. 1870. when the machinery was first put in operation and the facilities which the climate com bined with the vast tracts of land easily secured and well adapted to the growth of beets ofer to the enter. Prsing capitalist, suggest that the man ufacture of beet sugar in this State will ultimately become very extensiye-remunerstlye to the capitalist, the farmer and the laborer. The capacity of the factory hs fifty tons per twenty four hours. but As the company are from time to time adding to and improving their macinery, 1t is possible that before long 1t will be able to discharge stlll greater quantity. The Sacramento Beet Factory has capacity of ninety tons but the average dis charge is seventy five tons.
 The Silesian Sugur Beet is the species solely manufactured by the Alvarado Company. The seed is sown early in March, and the beets are ready Tor the mill in September, when they are plucked up, the leaves cut of close 10 the root and leit on the ground for manure.
 HOW BEET sUGAR IS MANUFACTURED.
 The manufacture of beet sugar Is very compli. cAted, and various methods of extracting the juice from the heets are employed. The hydrau. He pressure method Is universally acknowledged to be the best, but for various reasons (the priu. eipal Of which is Its expense) it has fallen into disuse, and tho syrup is extracted either by dIu. sion or by csntrifugals. The Alvarado Company have adopted the latter. Several small farmers in hA 0f he ,.l..