Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-24
An Industry That should B
started Here.

started heIcs
Amongst the economical questions re-
lating to products of the soil, there is
none more interesting or worthy of the
serious attention Of agriculturists and
capitalists than that which treats of the
production of sugar from the beet. The
great improvements that have lately
been made in machinery in the beet
sugar factories OF Europe have demon
strated that they are producing sugar at
the cost of only two. cents per pound
This is one and half cents less than
ME- E. II. Dyer, Superintendent of the
Alvarado factory, says it costs his factory
to make refined sugar. In 1887
the Association Oderbruch and Pomera-
mia gathered the data from sixty-four
first-class factories in Germany, showing
at what price they are now manufacture
ing sugar. The special publication, The
Sugar Beet, thus treats of the results OBJ
tanned: "To think that it is possible, by
improved appliances, to extract 11.31 per
cent. of sugar from the beet, and an ad-
ditional 0.65 per cent. from the molasses,
or total of IL 96 pounds per 100 pounds
of beets, is calculated to cause thrill oi
satisfaction in the hearts of Americans
who contend for the best welfare
of their country. The cost of this
sugar was only taoo cents per pound.
These, however, are actual facts, and
could be repeated in the United States.
This beet sugar is placed on the European
market in quantities sufficient for the
entire American consumption. We only
have to follow the example given US to
become the masters and not the slaves
Of the worlds sugar trade. Why these
great opportunities are neglected remains
mystery to those who have the coun-
try's industries truly at heart" Why,
sure enough! The beet sugar industry
has now reached such point of scien.
tiic and mechanical progress, moi
to say perfection, and its value
and importance to the agricultural
interests of the country are so appar-
ent, that capitalists should no longer
hesitate to enter the vast field it opens to
legitimate enterprise, and thereby free
this country from it's disgraceful depend
ence upon other nations for an article o.
food which our soil can furnish the raw
material for 80 cheaply and abundantly
1t must be remembered that the new sol
of our country is far more productive il
sugar than that of the old countries
where the sugar beet is now raised. Per
haps the reports published above from
the sixty-four factories give q fai
basis for this kind of com
parison. There 11.96 per cent. is
considered a good yield; but ever
with our imperfect machinery in Cali.
fornia compared with the improved
German machinery, we are now at our
factories extracting from 16 to 20 pei
cent of sugar from the home-raised beet
Beets raised in this section of the State
and crushed at the Alvarado factory ex.
hibited an average of Is per cent. There
are large areas of territory at this end OF
the State that it would pay we'll to plant
to the sugar beet if we had the factories
to extract the sugar. 1t needs but con.
certed action between our farmers and
capitalists to secure these factories.
They pay largely on the capital invested
They would give the farmer large re.
turn for his crop, and they would secure
employment to great number of skilled
and unskilled laborers in the factories
and in the fields.