Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-01
A HOME INDUSTRY.
BEET SUGAR MANUFAlTURE A
SUCCESS IN CALIFORNIA.
How a Little Aid from Congress
Can Help a Great Industry
The Alvarado Factory.

Written for the New Years REooRD-UNIo b
f. Ii. Dyer, superintendent of the STANDARD
Sugar Retnery.l
Among the many important industrie
that have been successfully established il
California, there is none more promising o
future greatness than that of beet suga
manufacture The fact that two or thre
enterprises of this kind, begun eighteen o
twenty years ago, were atterward aban
doned by their projectors, must not be ac
cepted as evidence that the manufacture o
sugar of superior quality from beets canno
be made profitable. The earlier venture.
were made by men who had no knowledg,
of the business, and who risked their
capital by placing it in the hands of equally
incompetent managers and superintend.
ents. There never was, nor is there TODAY
any good reason why the beet sugar
industry cannot be built up in Cali
fornia to such an extent as to not
| only give employment to thousands
of men, but also to supplant the products
of the Sandwich Islands and other foreign
| sugar-producing countries in the market
!'of the United States All that is necessary
is for Congress TO recognize this industry
as is being done by European countries
| and extend to it the slight aid required TO
protect it from competition with cheap
labor countries, where every possible en-
couragement is being afforded those en-
| gagged in the business. The character of
1.-THE aid required is such that the Govern
ment cannot reasonably withhold it. 1t is
| simply the exemption from revenue tariff
of the alcohol distilled from the molassas
| left after the extraction of the sugar. This
ALCOHOLICS is explained in memorial to
Congress, from which extracts are given
| below-cannot be used in the manufacture
of liquor for drinking purposes, but pos
| sesses some value for use in the manufact-
uring arts. This exemption is asked in
| consequence of the extremely low prices of
sugar and the danger of foreign Compel
| ton in the near future. 1t is question
| that should receive the careful attention
and support of Congress.
THE ALvARADo SUGAR ENTERPRISE.
Seven years ago company known as the
| Standard Sugar Refinery established a beet
sugar factory at Alvarado, in Alameda
county, and has proved a marked success
The company purchased the machinery
used by the Sacramento Beet Sugar Com
pany about fifteen years ago, 10 which it
has added modern Improvements at con-
siderable outlay, and now has splendidly-
equipped factory with capacity of eighty
| tons of beets per day. By new process
of treating the iuice-and which process
the company has patented-we are en-
abled to obtain about 10 per cent refined
sugar in first product-a larger percentage
than IS obtained in one product in any beet
sugar factory in the world. The richest
sugar cane known has never yielded so
large a first product. By this process we
are enabled to deliver in market pure
white refined sugar for about five cents a
pound. Refining grades of imported sugar
of 80 polariscope test are worth in our
markets to-day 5.53 cents per pound.
| With a factory of daily capacity of 200
| tons of beets we can manufacture sugar for
much less than five cents pound. The
Standard Sugar Refinery has made seven
campaigns. each of which gave satisfactory
results. We have made from 100000 to
| 100000 pounds of refined sugar each cam
paign, which has sold as readily in the
market as the best quality of cane and the
quality of the sugar will compare favorably
with any in market. 1t has taken some
years for our farmers to become accustomed
| to raising beets for sugar. AT first they did
not take to ii very readily but now we
could obtain many more than we can use
| at 81 per ton. The average yield is fully
| fifteen tons per acre, often twenty-five or
thirty tons. Ours is an improved variety
of Silesian beet, known as the "Verberset-
| ter Imperial Rosa" 1t has a red skin, but
is white inside, and is very rich in saccha-
| rine matter.
| ENCOURAGEMENT NEEDED.
| On the 5th of December, 1885, the AL
varado Company addressed a memorial TO
the present Congress, asking for certain
legislation in aid of the beet sugar industry,
in which the following figures were given,
showing the quantity of sugar consumed
in the United States for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1885,
| Pounds.
Foreign AZ, S57 AS
domestic cane oil 400 963
Domestic maple. 90 COO COO
| Domestic beet (refned) ............... 2I3l 27S
Total consumption. .......27 10, Sg4 6SI
This makes the consumption to be about
| fifty pounds per capita.
| OF the foreign sugar imported, 165, 976 1898
pounds were from the Hawaiian Islands,
and was admitted duty free This sugar
was valued at about $9,12S, 734, being an
average cost of about 81 cents per pound
for ratU sugar. The average value per
pound, of other foreign sugars was about
2.SS cents add TO this the average duty
| about cents-would make the cost to re-
tiners about ass cents a pound. By this, ii
| is evident that the benefits of the reciproci-
ty treaty inure to the Hawaiian planter.
The total amount of sugar consumed in
the United States is about 1,355 447 tons, OF
1000 pounds. Germany produced in 1884
from beets, 10000 tons, of 2,240 pounds
being only 67,447 tons less than the total
amount of sugar consumed in the United
S ates. This large quantity of sugar was
produced from beets raised on about SEC. 00C
acres of land. To produce the l ,355. Az
tons consumed in the United States The
past year, from beets. would only REQUIRE
800, $50 acres.
California alone, according to the agri
cultural map of the State prepared under
the direction OF Z. w. Hilgard Phi. D.
Professor of Agriculture of the State Uni
versity has land fit for the cultivation o
the sugar beet greatly in excess of tina
amount - not taking into consideration
Oregon and Washington Territory, whose
lands are as well adapted TO the production
of beets as those in California. II is evi
dent that very small portion of the lane
in the United States that is suitable fo
raising beets would be required to produc,
our own sugar. The following statemen
will show. to some extent, the immens,
benefits to be derived in producing our owl
sugar from the soil of our country.
| III consequence Ol the natural increase o
population, it would undoubtedly require
before the year 1890, 100000 tons of suga
to meet the requirements of the United
States. To produce this quantity of sugaI
from beets would require 100000 acres o
land an average yield of Is tons per acre
would produce 100000 tons of beets
which, at 81 per ton, would amount to $50,
100000. To manufacture and refine tn,
sugar contained in these beets, includin!
all expense incurred in converting thi
sugar into money, would cost, say 500, 900,
600 more, making the total cost of tn
1,500,0o0 tons of sugar to be $50. 900 ,O00
This large sum of money would be distrib
uted among the industrial classes in abou
the following proportions, viz.
Rent of land at $40 per acre.......... $4,000, 90
Lspor per acre SiO..........-......... 1900, 90
Cost OF manufacture, 100000
The cost of production being tive cents pc
pound for refined sugar.
Judging from our long experience in til,
manufacture of beet-root sugar in Califor
mia, we are confident that results full,
equally to those set forth in this Statement
would be realized in very few years. pro
viding Congress should extend to this in
dustrv the caVna aid apd apcot- 20 e,a,,, a,,