Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-25
Against Sugar Beet Culture.

l.
EDITORS PREss-Some favorable
accounts were given, editorially, in
the last number of the Rurat Press,
of the success of beet-sugar making
in this country, and the pertinent
question raised, why cannot this
industry be made commonly sue
cessful in California. The answer
Is plain-we have too direct or too
nearly equal competition with cane
sugar. Beet sugar never did, and
in the nature of the case never can,
sustain anything like an equal or
fair competition with cane sugar,
mainly because the cane contains
double the quantity of sugar that
the beet does; practically, it is be-
lieved considerable more than
double, and may be more cheaply
manufactured.
The manufacture of beet sugar
was forced into existence by Napo-
leon, when he warred against all
Europe and prohibited his subjects
from purchasing from British
tradesmen, and the production of
beet sugar has fluctuated since that
time in that country with the
amount of duty or tax on sugar.
In France there were So beet-sugar
factories in 1928. In 1888 the duty
or tax upon cane sugar was raised
to 80 and los francs on 100 kilo-
grammes, and the number of beet
sugar factories rose to $40 in 1885,
466 in 1886, 542 in 1887. In 1888 a
domestic tax was laid upon beet
sugar, of IL francs, and the number
of factories sank at once to 3S9 in
1910; and when the tax was raised
to 274 francs, the number of facto-
ries was reduced to 1926 in 1874.
In 1887, under the influence of
exhorbitant protective duties, beet
sugar was produced equal to one
third the amount of sugar con-
sumed (45,000.000 kilogrammes)
In 1874, when the protection of the
tariff had been lessened by one
fourth, the production of beet sugar
sank to only 2S,000,000 kilo-
grammes.
When the subject was officially
inquired into in France, it was as
certained that one hectare (23
aores) can produce on the average
1850 kilogrammes of beet sugar, or
from 1900 to 1900 kilogrammes of
cane sugar.
If we spend double the amount
of labor on an acre of sugar cane
that we do on an acre of corn or
beets, we still have, as the result of
the same labor, several times as
much cane sugar as of beet sugar.
Again, the manufacture of beet
sugar is much more complicated,
critical and expensive.
The truth is that beet sugar is a
high-priced sugar, and its manu-
facture can only prove successful
when the price of cane sugar is
high, either from taxes, duty OF
other cause. Beet-sugar factories
in this country, from the first one
about the year 1880 down to the
present time have proved failures.
1t seems impossible for the few now
in existence to meet with that de-
gree of success which the enter
prise of their managers merit, and
In few years they will probably
go the way of their predecessors.
Just now we find the Louisiana
sugar planters clamoring for the alb
rogation of the Hawaiian treaty, in
order that they may be protected in
their business. If we had twenty
beet.sugar factories in this State,
we should have another host clam
oring for the same object, in order
to force high-priced beet sugar
upon us.
The introduction of the beet
sugar industry into California
seems like an ill-judged enterprise;
in fact, very much like folly, when
we consider the fact that we have
in California large areas much bet
ter adapted by climate than Louis
lana for the growth of the true
sugar cane, and the additional fact
that In nearly all parts of the State
the Chinese and African cane, or
sorghum, can be grown without
difficulty. From the latter, by
Cooks evaporator, 10 years ago,
1900 pounds of sugar was produced
to the acre. BY later-improved
methods of management, much
better results have been obtained,
and 1t is believed now that quite as
much, IL not more, sugar can be
produced from an acre of sorghum
as from an acre of beets. From
sorghum there remains an amount