Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-02-24
BEET SUGAR.
What commissioner LeDuc Has TO
Say About Its Manufacture la Dell
aSRre-The COmpany's Movements

aware-The Company's MOye,Dent,
After devoting space to the progress q
experiments ut Portland. Ne, the com
missioner has this to suy about expen
ments in Delaware
Another experiment in the cultivation o.
the beet and its manufacture into sugar hal
been made in the State of Delaware. II
| encourage the enterprise the State Legislator,
appropriated $500 in 1877 to be offered a,
premiums to farmers for crops of sugar heets
and III 1873 81, 500 were appropriated for the
same purpose.
Beet culture was begun four years since
and results proving better with each succeed
ing year, the experiment of making beet
! sugar WAS undertaken in 1878 by the Della
| ware Heet Sugar Company with such mper-
feet apparatus as happened at hind. lhC
crop to be worked mp amounted to $50 tons
OF roots Containing an average of per cent.
| OF sllcrose) from 10 acres. From imperfect
arrangements these experiments were not
very satisfactory. Unfortunately tho past
season proved very unfayOrable TO the beet
crop IN the State, again bringing the supply
or roots below the requirements OF the COM
| pany, whose new and complete mill. made by
| Colwell Brothers, of New York, and costing
$50, 900, has Il capacity of 60 tons of roots per
day of "a hours, gives employment TO Il men.
at average wages of ~ to sl.25 per day and
consumes daily 90 tons of fuel costing, doliv-
cred at the factory, Sl1J per ton. With tho
| very small quantity of material they have
had to work up this year the company has
yet realized enough to cover all the running
expenses. With such crop as was expected
fair profit would doubtless have
resulted. Az 1t is, the company has been
30 encouraged that measures arc now being
taken to secure contracts for crop of 1000
acres of beets, and an increase of the capacity
to 100 tons per day, If the requisite quantity
OF raw material can bo contracted for. The
work in the factory has not been far enough
completed to give accurate details ms to the
results obtained. Enough il however known
to determine that the yield in sugar from The
centrifugals and OF the first capitalization,
testing 50 per cent, will reach 100, 0OO pounds,
for which cents per pound has been offered.
The molassos il still to be worked over for
seconds. after which the residue will be de-
1vered, according to contract already made,
for IL cents per gallon. The pulp from the
diifusors amounting to from 40 to As per
cent. of the roots worked, is readily sold for
81 per ton, delivered on cars at the factory.
Indeed, more orders for pulp have already
been received from the farmers than can be
filled this year. As this company seems to
lack neither capital intelligence, practical
experience, nor transportation facilities, it's
ultimate success may be confidently predicted.
If, as stated, the implements Used in the
cultivation of tho beet are peculiar to Euro
pean manufacturers, there would seem to be
no good reason why the desire of the growers
III this country that they be admitted free of
duty at least until our manufacturers are pre-
pared to supply them, should not be allowed.
Commissioner, LsDuc OF tue ID partner M
Of Agriculture i'll his preliminary auiuA
report for the year 1880 says the foiiDWiug
about the culture ot sugar boets md the
manufacture Of beet sugar:
Since the publication of the last Annual
Report there has been prepared in the depart
inellt a report on the couture of the sugar
beet, and the manufacture Of sugar theletrom
in France and the United States This
report is intended to show the conditions
favorable to the culture of the sugar beet
and the methods OF planting, manuring cult
waiting, harvesting and storing the crops in
France, the later improvements introduced
III the methods of manufacture of sugar from
the beet, and the social and fiscal relations
erecting the beet sugar industry in that coun-
try, That portion relating to the manufacture
j. not intended to give details relative to the
methods employed. but to furnish to pruspcc-
tive manufacturers correct notions concerning
improvements Ill apparatus, &c., that have
been made up to 1873, and estimates Of the
cost of requirements for a complete factory.
| The report is accompanied by Illustrations of
the most of the improvements mentioned,
and of the new instruments employed in Gull
tiyatlng the root.
The Beet Sugar Company is contempla-
ting the Introduction. of machinery mo
its works ut Riverside for the manufacture
OF mnlasses. IL h4s ulso offered to 20 into
contracts for next season with farmers to
raise beet1 IN Delaware, Mary land New
Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, Offering
| liberal rewards for the hes tc-,,g