Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1891-03-27
The Coming Industry Of the Dakotas.
A Large Number Of Practical
Tests This Year.
Several Reflneries to Be Built in the
Dakotas, One Certainly to Be
Located at Aberdeen.
A Comprehensive History Of the Sugar
Beet and its Product from
the Earliest Date.

prepared the following paper upon
that subject, which Is agitating nearly
every farming community in the
Northwest, giving them, if it proves
as profitable to the farmers as
all authorities would Indicate, a
chance to engage in something more
profitable than to raise nothing but
wheat. Mr.. Narregang has made the
raising OF beets and making sugar
from them study, and whatever he
says upon the subject will be read with
great interest by all classes of people
in the Northwest:
The red beet was introduced in Eng
land in 1548, the white in 1870, and
over three hundred years ago, Oliver
De- Series says in his writings that
"the juice yielded on boiling Is SINH
lar to sugar SYRUP"
1t has, however, been only q short
time since the attention of the Ameri-
can people has been arrested by the
development Of the sugar beet indus
try, and q few remarks at this time
may be of interest to the people of
the Dakotas.
1t was not until TAT that beets were
cultivated for other purposes than
for the table or food for stock, but
about this time man by the name
OF Margraff, in his researches endeav-
oring to find the constituent parts of
different plants, discovered that the
beet contained a large percentage OF
crystallizable sugar; and realizing it's
commercial value to Europe, urged
the Importance of his discovery, hop
ing to see valuable results from it.
However, he was disappointed in this,
as his method of extracting the sugar
was too imperfect to compete with
the prices OF colonial sugar, and this
important discovery remained dor.
mant for nearly half century.
At this time, about 1897, Karl
Franz Arhard, q pupil of Margratf,
again took up the line of research.
His process was peculiarly his own,
and the results OF his experiments
were wonderful. The first record of
sugar being made was in 1893, when
Archard presented q sample of his
product to the institute of France.
The people were very incredulous,
O1lu ttlUAOuku
tation as scientist, the idea he pre-
sented of any other vegetable taking
the place Of cane for sugar, was met
with ridicule. This did not in the
least dampen his enthusiasm; and in
1905 he so interested the Baron De
Koppy, of Strehleu, Germany, as to
induce him to erect a factory on his
estate at K1ayn, for this purpose.
Archard erected the second factory
on his estate at Cunerre, and soon
several more were built in different
parts of Germany.
In 1903 Napoleon 1st, issued his
famous DEGREES of "Berlin" and emil
an" excluding from the markets of
France all material of English manu-
facture which made sugar scarce and
dear, thus making it necessary to
again undertake the emanufacture from
beets, and also from: grapes. both of
which proved successful. The govern
ment donated large sums to encour-
age the industry, and in 1911 the first
factory was built in France. But the
cost OF manufacturing, at this time,
was from $50 to $.45 per pound,
which made it too great q luxury for
most people.
During this year great discovery
was made by M. Derosne, in the use
of quick-lime in the publication of the
juice, and in the following january
M. Barruel gave q description of his
method, which gave the first mention
OF the use of carbonic acid. These two
discoveries placed the sugar industry
on a sound basis, enabling them to
make white sugar, and before the end
of the year, France had 334 factories,
and produced 100000 pounds OF
sugar. At this time the government
excluded from taxation all the manu-
factured products OF sugar, for q per-
iod of four years, and the cost was re.
duced to Is cents per pound.
Germany also accorded to Archard
substantial aid, and ordered HIM to
establish two schools on his estate for
instruction in1the extraction Of the
sugar from the beet. These were very
successful, and one of his pupils in
Russia carried to that country the
germs OF this greatest OF industries,
and in the year 1914 factory was es-
tablished py General Blankenagel, at
Toula. Russia also exempted all
lands, on which sugar factories were
erected, from taxation, but, unfortun-
ately, at this time, thegreat European
war broke out, and nearly gave to
this industry it's death blow.
After the decree OF Napoleon exclud-
ing sugar from France, an amusing
story is related as follows: "The EN-.
peror is represented as sitting in the
nursery with q cup ofcoffee before him,
into which he is squeezing a beet root.
Near him is seated the King OF Rome,
voraciously sucking the beet root,
while the nurse, standing near and
steadfastly observing, Is made to say
to the youthful monarch. "suck, dear,
suck, your father says it is sugar."
1t was not until about 1885 that
any further interest was manifested in
peet sugar, but from this time on it
has had q steady and increasing
growth, 80 that in 1889 and 1890
Europe alone manufactured 3,417,.
600 tons of beet sugar, and the price
was reduced to 1-2 cents per pound,
1t was not until the year 1880 that
this industry was established in the
United States, but, unfortunately, the
promoters were not successful, and it
had many "ups and downs" After a
few years nothing more was heard Of
it, and not until 1868 did any one
dare venture in the undertaking, then
only to meet the fate of the others
Finally, in 1879, factory was start.
ed by men of capital and experience,
who have made a grand success of ii
in California, both as to the amount
of sugar and it's cost, as we'll as max.
ng profitable investment for pro.
moters.
At the present time there are sever.
al factories in the following states,
viz: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,,
Illinois, Wisconsin, California. Della,
ware, New Jersey, Maine and Neb1 as.
tion and temperature to the Dakotas
: and nearly all are making success
of the undertaking. 1t is an industry
which requires great care, especially
before locating factory, and tor many
years to come, there undoubtedly will
be "more enthusiasm than knowledge