Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-05-21

If any person doubts the fact that beet
sugar industry is now attracting the great
est interest in America, he will certainly be
convinced of his mistake when he counts
up the number of joint-stock companies
which have been organized for the manu-
facture of sugar from beets during the last
six months. Six or more have sprung in
to life, or at least into existence without
life, in Canada; two, which have shown
some signs of life, in Delaware. and at
least six more in various states on the
Atlantic coast. Besides these there is
some agitation of the subject in Oregon,
Washington Territory and in Colorado.
In the latter section it has been found that
the grasshoppers and potato bugs utterly
refuse to touch beet leaves or roots, and
that the grasshopper rather, if everything
else is devoured, exist on broom handles
and pitch-forks. In Utah an embryo beet.
sugar establishment has sprung into, life
under the fostering care of the Latter
day Saints"
Probably the most successful of all the
sugar-workers in California have been
those at Sequel, formerly at Alvarado. ]
am informed by the night foreman of this
factory that they began work in the last
week of August, 1878, worked daily and
without interruption or accident from sixty
to seventy tons of beets, found ready sale
for their sugar at fair prices, and ended
their season the latter part of March, max
ing PROBABLY 175 working days.
A new sugar company has hcen organic
ed in San Francisco, with their sugar works
located at Alvarado on tho site Of the old
beet-sugar works. Part of the buildings
are to be utilized for the new factory. The
machinery has all been removed to Sequel.
This factory is intended for working seven
ty-five to eighty tons per day, and has ad-
dopted the " diffusion process" with all
its recent changes and improvements.
The company has guaranteed to furnish
everything requisite to make it complete
first-class establishment, equal in every
respect to any in Europe. l have, on the
other hand for my part, agreed to have it
in readiness for work on Monday, Sept. l,
and to produce rs good results as are OBJ
tanned in first-class beet-sugar works in
Germany, from the same quality of beets.
The reason l give these data so infinitely
is to prove to tho public that there is no
more difficulty or uncertainty concerning
the establishment of n first-clas bcet-sugar
factory, than there is about any other in
dustrial establishment of the same magni-
tude. Four months and halfis certainly
not very long time for erecting buildings
and placing therein the complicated
machinery, bearing in mind that the whole
works when completed will represent a
value of $4,000 to 100000. In Portland
last year demonstrated with how small
sum good result may be obtained. In
California, in 1879, | intend to demonstrate
that well-appointed bcet-sugar factory
can be established as easily, and with as
much certainty, and be run with as great
profit, as Il SIMILAR factory under the same
circumstances in Germany.
The agricultural part of this great I'M
dertaking is all that could be desired.
Contracts for the cultivation of 100 acres
have been made with farmers in the i'm
mediate vicinity, on such terms that all
the beets are delivered directly to the fac.
tory at 81 per ton, a price which certainly
does not smack of California, but
which is higher in proportion than
any other product of the farm. The ll0)
acres contracted for are divided among
sixty-tive farmers, the largest contract of
which is for 115 acres, and the smallest
for three acres,the average being nineteen
acres to each farmer. The company
could have easily contracted for double the
of acres, but had to refuse many
applicants. Nearly every farmer has
planted even more acres than he contract
ed for,since most contractors have applied
for additional seed, and although fifteen
pounds per acre have already been allotted
and that is the maximum quantity planted
per acre.-Mr. Gen1eert, in american CuI-
tiUat0r.