The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-04-04

Prof. Gennert, manager of the Maine Sugar Beet
Company, makes the offer of S35 per ton for dried
beets, in an address before the Legislature of Del
aware. In q letter to the writer he has made the
same offer. Would it not be we'll for the farmers
of this county and State to commence, this spring.
and plant from one to two acres The genuine
seed can be had from New York ut 30 cents per 10.
Before it is time to take the beets out of the
ground, next fall some way can be planned for
drying the same for market. This could be done
at a small expense, if all would be willing to CO.
operate together, and establish place for drying
Five tons of green beets make one ton of dried
ones. There could be little risk in planting a few,
and if we do not succeed in drying them, they could
be fed with profit to stock. At the same time we
could show to the sugar manufacturers that we
can raise beets in large quantities. The sooner we
do this, the sooner we will have a home market
for our beets, by the establishment fmanufactor-
les of sugar from the beet
Now for the profit to the farmers who raise
beets. 1t has been proved that from 10 to 50 tons
can be raised. At the prices now paid by the Maine
Company, s. per ton would give 800. Cost of
raising say ~ per ton would be net profit to the
farmer of $50 per acre. In ten miles square there
GA 900 acres. This would make 426 farms of $50
acres. Each of these farms could plant acres of
beets, without having them in the way of other
crops which would give 2, 100 acres of beets at
profit of $50 net per acre. which would amount
TO the sum of Sl2s,sOO, or $500 for each farmer.
This industry is especially needed by this nation
to restore its prosperity and establish that prosper
ity on more permanent basis. Beet culture has
been the foundation of improved agriculture in
Europe. In France everybody sings its praise. 1t
says, indeed, II compel industry by the richness
of my reward. / multiply the centres of labor
and give employment to people who would other
wise be idle.'' Before the manufacture of beet
sugar. one district of country in France produced
695, $50 bushels Of wheat, and fattened 700 oxen.
Since the manufacture of beet sugar was intro
duced the same district produces 1,l5T, $50 BUSH
els of wheat and fattens II, 800 oxen. But
the model farm of France is one of 552 acres,
which has been eleven years under sugar beet
cultivation and averages 10 bushel of oats per
on 30 acres 36h bushels of wheat on l50 acres; 3
tons of hay per acre fattens 800 cattle and 5000
In
from 30 to 40 tons per acre.
Wherever the beet is cultivated land advances
in value and wages take the same direction. The
size of factories for making sugar varies from the
smallest, producing one ton of sugar per day, to
the largest producing forty to nifty tons per day.
The average being in Russia one ton, and in other
parts of the Continent six tons of sugar per day
of twenty-four hours. The capital required for
about $4,000. For the, one ton size, about
$4,000. The number of hands required for the
former is from 81 TO - to each turn, and for the
latter to 10, according to the kind of machinery
used
For every ton of sugar. about IL tons of beets are
This is fed TO cattle, at the rate of about 80 lbs
per head per day Consequently, six ton fac
tory would make Is tons of pulp, sufficient for
nearly 300 head. The smaller ones would make2k
tons of pulp, which would feed 10 head. II re-
quires six hundred acres to produce beets for the
sx-ton factories, and 100 for the smaller ones. In
some localities the factory il stock company,
and is owned by the farmers The cost of labor
in the factories Is about oaehalf cent per pound
of sugar.
The benefits to be derived from its introduction
into the United States are these: The production
of sugar may be very properly classed with that
foundation or basic Industries of this county, on
which public prosperity and industrial progress
rest Our country giS lori In It's progress towards
u bountiful nature has richly gifted us. But for
our supply of sugar, which has become SO necessa-
ry in the food of modern society, 1t is most de-
pendent and if by any cause, and there are many
the supplies should be decreased, we will pay dear
ly for this neglect With this dependence now,
and the possibility ofts being worse in the future
what additional inducements are there to attract
this industry amongst us? Our country imports
nearly one million tons of sugar per annnm. This
if made at home would require about 12,000,000
tons Gf beets. Here is an additional crop for the
farmer, and opG which, Judging by European ex-
scarcely an industry orintepest Ia any department
of human effort In this country, that would not
be benefited by the addition OF this as an impor-
tant complement to the circle for the supply of hui
man wants. The large proportion of the business
of the country is now languishing. At the same
for sugar that could and ought to be mede at home
Therefore. this industry requires the organized eff
forts of those interests which would be directly
and demonstrate by the most positive evidence of
facts, that u will md does pay.
One well organized aRd model establishment
that but little more woald be Tbs could
not be done in one year. It would probably re-
those who engaged in the enterprise. That sugar al
beetg have been grown quite extensively in certain
localities IN this county for winter food for COWS,
is not new. They are esteemed by many dairy
men superior TO all other root crops for that pur-
pose.
While we have been squandering our gold for
sugar, France, with population of about the
same number, by perseverng In wise policy of
protection Of this industry for the national benefit
has for the last ten years produced sufficient sugar
from the beet for home consumption. and is now
exporting large surplus; and without any mines
OF gold y so S G S to the