Wichita eagle., 1890-02-07
THE SUGAR BUSINESS.
Prof. Cowgirl on the Erec' ion Of Sugar Plants
and Probabilities for Next Year
Beet Sugar IL; Abundance.

Prof. E. B. Cowgirl spent yesterday in
the city on his way from Medicine Lodge
to Sterling. AS is known for some time
he has had in charge the experimental
cane and sugar beet growing station at
Sterling, and has spent many years in the
sugar business in the employ of the goy-
ernment. His experience commenced
many years ago in the south, and when it
was found that sugar was a possibility for
Kansas he came to this section and is we'll
known in connection with the experiments
in the business in the state. In a CONVEX
sation yesterday he said: This year will
be lively one in the sugar business. The
experiments have shown the possibilities,
or at least part of the possibilities, OF
the business and defines district from
the Fed river on the south to the Dakota
line as suitable for the sugar industry.
The line east and west completing the
boundary has not been found, but
capital seeking investment in the
business has discovered that all
the territory in between the north and
south limits is good for sugar making and
and many plants are being constructed
and the old ones increased in capacity and
in many ways improved. AT Neleigh,
Neb., the experiments have been very sue
cessful in the beet sugar. The showing
as on file at Washington is very fine OF
course you all know the result at Medicine
Lodge. Twenty-one hundred pounds of
sugar from an acre of beets is the average.
This was veritable eye-opener in the
sugar business and the result is that the
Medicine Lodge company is going into the
sugar business"
The going into the sugar business" ex-
preston was particularly emphasized to
give it force when the professor continued:
''The company has sent to Germany for
ten thousand pounds of sugar beet seed
and this will plant twelve hundred acres
in beets. and just that many acres will be
planted in bee:s. From this alone over two
and half million pounds of beet sugar
will be made. The company will plant
2, 500 acres of cane which will be worked up
first and then the beet sugar making fol-
lows and can last until the beets COM
menCe to grow in the spring, which in
jures their sugar making properties"
AS to the improvement to be made at
Medicine Lodge he said: ''The depart
ment for handling beets will be increased
to handle the immense crop, the improve
ments to cost $4,000, or possibly more.
This work has been commenced and there
is no doubt but that it will be completed
by the time the beets can be handled. In
| addition to the increase in this department
the company will put in small refinery,
but large enough to refine the raw sugar
of the plant, and possibly can accommo-
| date some other plants. In the refinery
the animal charcoal filters will be used.
and the estimated cost in this department
| is placed at $4,000. The department
making sorghum sugar will be increased
ana it Is expected the output in this branch
will be one and half million pounds
which, added to the beet sugar, will make
/ three or four million pounds for the plant.
| In the state this year, in the entire state,
one and half million pounds was the
output and one-third of this was made by
| the Medicine Lodge company"
| OF the new plants and improvements
being made be enumerated: ''At Neleigh,
| Nebraska. beet sugar plant. costing $3.50,
900. The company having the matter in
hand has capital stock of 100000. Also
large plant at Grand Island, Nebraska,
to make beet sugar George B. Lord in
Hamilton county, Kansas, is at the head
of company going to put in 100000
plant to handle cane and beets to be raised
on irrigated land. The business in Pratt
| county as far as know is getting along
nicely. The plan there is for five plants
for sorghum sugar. The question is now
| being agitated in Harvey county. A COM
pany is figuring on putting in large
amount of money there and 60 into the
sorghum and beet sugar business. l was
recently at Conway Springs and l
am satisfied the business will
be reorganized there and next year that
plant will be numbered among the most
successful in the state. L attended a
recent meeting there, which was attended
by the farmers and many others interested
in the sugar plant, and it was the general
expression that all the help and encour-
agement possible for a community to give
a company would be given. / think the
new company will greatly enlarge the
plant and its ability to turn out sugar in a
business way. / am prepared to say that
every company, under reasonably fair
conditions, going at the business In bus
mess like way, has succeeded. The plants
must have the best of machinery for the
| purpose, suitable cane, good location as tc
water and the management should know
something of the business Good man
agement is as necessary in sugar making
as in anything else"
Summing up the situation and plants
Il think by this time next year over two
million dollars will be invested in sugar
factories in Kansas. This | believe low
estimate Sugar making is now fact
and capital formerly reluctant is now
seeking to go into the business.
AS TO the people in general: Il would ad
wise those interested in the sugar busines:
or any one desiring to investigate to get
beet seed from the department of agrcui
ture and raise the beets and test localitie:
as to ability to produce suitable beets fol
sugar making"
Mr. Frank Hinze, who is connected with
the Medicine lodge plant and who is
graduate of sugar making school In Ger
many with a four liner name to it, wa:
present during Prof. Cowgill's talk and OF
the beet question said to raise beets witt
best result should in fall plow the grounC
from one foot to eighteen inches deep anc
in the spring harrow the ground, then rol
it and drill beets in one and half inche
deep, rows eighteen inches apart and beet
| in the row about one foot apart Neces
sary to keep weeds out from time of plant
ing, last of March. TO the harvest abou
the lst of September. He said the depart
ment at Washington having the matter IL
charge was greatly encouraged over the re
suits in the beet sugar line. He had quit
i correspondence over the matter as ais
had his brother Henry, who has charge o
! che l,aar at the MeilclD