The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-03-28

beets, and the manufacture Of sugar
from the same, is something of
great Importance to the farmers of
the Northwest. Permit me to sug-
gest that You call on the editor Of
the GREAT WEST, an alliance paper
that has general circulation among
the farmers, published at 758 Waba-
sha St., St. Paul, and ask him to
publish your article, and you may be
able to give him valuable informa-
ton as to the cost of patent of
machinery for the manufacture of
sugar from beets. There will be q
meeting of the Executive Committee
of the State Alliance in St. Paul
soon. Would be pleased to have you
come before the Committee and ex-
plain the matter to them.
R. j. HALL,
President MINI. State Farmers
Alliance.
Mr.. Koch accordingly furnished us
the following article:
CAN WE PRODUCE OUR OWN SUGAR?
Farming in the Northwest is not
SO profitable as it used to be. In
the past, when wheat sold for 81 90
or more bushel, and the virgin
soil gave year after year abundant
crops, there was no reason to COM
plain; but prices and crops are
smaller, and it becomes us to look
for relief. And we cannot raise
wheat on the same soil all the time,
and what can we do in localities
where the soil is tired of wheat
growing? We need more rotation of
crops. We ought to raise less wheat
and more of something else. We
export now millions of dollars worth
OF wheat, and we import millions of
dollars worth OF sugar. Could not
we send less wheat abroad and pro-
duce our own sugar? And why
should not the sugar beet grow as
well here as in Germany or France?
remember the time, when the man.
ufacture of sugar from beets was vet
in it's infancy, and whom the govern
ments of both Germany and France
did all in their power to aid the
manufacturers, and employed chem
lists to help solve the problem. AND
today both countries supply not
alone their own, but a good deal of
the worlds markets. And that in
dustry has proved very profitable to
farmers and manufacturers both.
Why cannot we in the United States,
but especially in Minnesota, raise
beets as cheaply or even cheaper
than in Europe? Do not We produce
potatoes as cheap? True our labor
is higher, but our lands are cheaper.
Manufacturers in Europe often Of
fered $40 rent per acre per year
while $50 would be about an aver
age. The farmers had to do the
blowing, narrowing, and haul the
beets to the railroad depot, while the
manufacturers furnished seed, did
the cultivating, hoeing and digging.
In other localities beets were raised
and sold to the manufacturers by
the ton. With our lands much
cheaper, should not we be able to
produce beets as cheap as in Europe,
as we do wheat, butter, cheese ETC.?
But as we have a home market for
sugar here, we have good deal the
advantage over the European pro-
ducer. And there must be a big
margin for profit, for farmers and
manufacturers both, as we are not
obliged to produce as cheaply as
over there. In Europe large factories
are in operation to work up the
beets Of the surrounding country,
say for forty to fifty miles, and the
refuse or pulp makes splendid cat
tie food, and is either sold back to
the farmers, or used at the factory
for fattening cattle. Beets are
grown one, two or three successive
years on the same land, which will
then produce wheat or oats again.
At each large factory there is usually
a chemist employed to test the quail
ity of the beet. Some kind of beets
give much more percentage than
others, and that again might be diff
ferent, according to climate. If it
can be proven that beets will not
alone grow well enough in Minneso-
ia, but also contain sugar holding
matter in sufficient quantities. this
problem would be solved, and cap
ital would not be slow in taking ad-
70 reo If thio orv1u%,,,,;kxy owook