Wichita eagle., 1889-12-19

suspected tnat Cnere muSJ De some OCCULT
secret. or, patented process. which if VIZ
could only ascertain it, would solve the
sugar problem and make the possessor5 Of
the secret rich And here, let me say, was
| presented one of the greatest temptations
| to lying to which men could we'll be sub
jected. And they lied. They reported
| yields of sugar of astounding abundance
| they claimed to have discovered and to bs
| the only possessors of the great secret; they
claimed to have patented the only success
| full processes. Let me say here little
more amply than l have stated IN public
| before:
| First-The sugar producing quality is
not monopolized by any one or two varie,
| ties of cane. Neither has anybody control
of the seed OF the best varieties.
Second-No peculiar make Of or patent
ed machinery is essential to the success OF
| sugar making.
| Third-There are no secrets in the
| sugar business. and no patent controls the
process of manufacture or any step there
! in.
| The entire process of modern sugar max
| ing is scientific development. most OF
| which was transplanJed to this country
| from the best sugar factories OF Europe by
| the United States department OF agricul-
| ture and adapted TO the conditions of our
canes at the expense OF the general gov
eminent and the Parkinson Sugar COM
pany of Fort Scott, Kan. The machinery
! is but slightly modified from that which
has been used for many years IL both Ger
| many and France IN the manufacture OF
sugar from beets.
PRESENT STATE OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY.
| Louisiana and Texas are now bringing
themselves, as rapidly as they can com
mand the necessary capital, in applying
the new developments to the improve
| ment Of their sugar factories. and VII!
| doubtless rapidly take more Important
parts than heretofore IN the Worios pro-
duction of this staple.
Kansas has erected six new sugar fac
tories during the present year, and mas
| had in operation two formerly erected
Four of the new factorties have scarcely
been operated for lack of suitable cane.
The success of the others has been varied
In such way as to emphasizs the import
ance of careful selection OF lOca ZION, plenty
of capital, good business management, the
best obtainable machinery, competent
skill TO operate and well cultivated cane.
To the casual observer the general re-
suits are not encouraging. But at least
one company, possessed of ample capital,
has so far observed the above conditions as
to obtain results so satisfactory to JUS
stock that its facilities are to be
greatly enlarged and IT'S business increased.
Indeed the careful Investigations of capt
talIsts are resulting IN arrangements Tor
the erection Of a much larger number of
factories in $50 than occurred in 1889.
1t would be d matter Of great interest
were | able to present here the balance
sheet of the seasons operations at Medl-
cine Lodge, so that the people here present
might judge for themselves whether che
sugar business has paid at this factory.
l have not asked for this balance sheet. 1t
Is private property of the gentlemen who
employed their capital, business ability,
skid and time in making it. They have
done me the courtesy, however, to say that
the balance is on the right side and is so
considerable. as to make their investment
a good one.
The total amount OF sugar made is a
matter which goes to the public, and while
the exact figures are not before me, the to-
tai will not vary much from half a million
pounds. With very slight improvements
TO be made in the machinery, with added
experience in conducting the business and
with the acquired skill of the operatives
the company has no doubt of making
million pounds of sorghum sugar during
the season o. 1890.
THE BEET SUGAR EXPERIMENT.
Nothing Of greater Importance has ever
taken place in the development of the
sugar industry in this country than the
experiments with sugar beets at Medicine
Lodge during this season. The Dublica-
the United States department Of agricul-
ture, But careful estimates were made
during the writer's visit to the plant
while the work was going Oh. These
showed that 40 acres yielded sixty tons
of cleaned beets, or little over thirteen
tons per acre From these 5000 pounds of
sugar were made or q little over 1000
pounds per acre. am told that the official
figures are not less favorable than the
above. These beets were produced from
seed imported directly from Germany by
the superintendent of the Medicine Lodge
works, who Is himself a beet sugar man Of
many years experience. He also directed
their cultivation and manufacture.
Now these beets grown on southern
Kansas soil produced over Il ton of elegant
sugar for each acre of land planted. An
other important fact is that the season for
manufacturing beet sugar begins near the
close of the season for manufacturing
sorghum cane sugar, Again most of the
machinery is Identical with that used in
sorghum sugar manufacture. The use of
these two plants will give to southern
Kansas a sugar harvest of five or six
months sugar manufacturing season I'm
equalled in any other part of the world.
1t is the purpose of the farmers who are
so fortunate as to be within hauling dis
lance OF the Medicine Lodge to plant
large acreage of sugar beets next season,
so that to the l,000,0O0 pounds OF sorghum
sugar to be made there will doubtless be
added million or more pounds of beet
sugar. This sugar is worth at the factory
little over cents per pound net, or the
total value of the sugar crop at that local
ity, as above estimated, will be something
over one hundred thousand dollars. 1t
will require LOCO such factories to supply
the sugar deficiency of the United States.
One OF the most important facts of this
industry is that most OF the money re-
ceived for the product is earned on the
ground where the cane and beets grow,
and where the factory stands. Interest on
the capital invested constitute the eXCep-
ton to this.
THE FARMERS PART IN THE SUGAR
INDUSTRY.
The production of caue and beets from
the soil is the purely agricultural part of
the sugar industry. These Will grow
almost wherever planted and with or with
out care. But to grow a cane stalk or to
grow sugar beet is not always TO grow
sugar. Sugar is a result of a refinement
of agriculture under favorable natural
conditions. Most of the failures which
have marked the attempts at sugar max
ing in this country have resulted from
neglect of this fundamental truth. The
grand success of the Germans and the
French in producing sugar has been
achieved through attention to it.
Consider the case of sorghum cane.
plated and allowed to grow AS best it may
it does indeed produce a varying percent
age of sugar, but it is SO mixed with other
substances in solution in the juice that the
most skilfull sugar makers can separate
very little Of it. Properly selected seed,
planted and cultivated ut the experiment
station at Sterling, IN 1889, produced cane.