Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-12

promise made in answer to your invl-
tation to appear before you, | submit
the following, to be read at your next
meeting If the opportunity presents it
self:
Early appreciating the importance to
Southern California of the beet sugar
industry and believing in the special
adaptation of our soil and climate for
that purpose, and fully realizing the
necessity of making success at the
outset. / secured the cooperation OF Mr..
Henry I. Oxnard, with an understand
ing that if all the conditions proved to
be favorable, he and his associates would
build factory and refinery on the
Chino ranch.
| then went methodically and syste-
matically to work to prove by actual
experiment what those conditions were.
learned the analysis of the beet; stu
died the agricultural methods of those
countries where the culture had been
successful; planted numerous expert
mental patches, and made continuous
analyses, running Through, more than
two years of beets at all stages Of growth
and maturity and grown in all the diff
ierent soils, thus demonstrating many
important advantages due to our soil
and semi-tropical climate over beets
grown IN the rigorous climate of the
east and Europe, and many other things
OF Importance not before understood
ard OF great economical value to the
cultivat0r aud manufacturer.
AT every step gained positive knowl-
edge, and left nothing to chance. The
accumulated proof thus obtained, and
the analyses of soil and water being
satisfactory to Mr.. Oxnard and his
friends, contract was made and signed
last December, and the result is that in
less than eight months a perfectly
operated sugar factory, with widespread
fields OF beets, giving employment to
hundreds OF people, turning out quanti-
ties OF refined sugar from the highest
grade beets ever worked in a factory or
grown in any country, now exists upon
the Chino ranch.
To give you an idea of the close appli-
cation, patient watching and work nee
essary to make ell this possible without
chance of failure, to organize the forces
and methods, to prepare the land, plow,
thin and cultivate over two thousand
acres, and finally to harvest and deliver
at the factory three hundred tons of
beets per day, would take more time
than [ could possibly devote to it now.
l want to say, however, that for many
years to come there will be no competi-
ton in the beet sugar business. 1t is
estimated that 10000 tons of sugar per
annum are consumed in the Pacific states
and territories and the amount is con-
tinually increasing, so there is no chance
for rivalry or conflict of interests.
Sugar beet growing is a special branch
OF agriculture, requiring good judgment,
experience ana care, and above all care
full, intelligent and untiring industry.
shall be glad to give to others the ben
eft OF my experience and such advice as
will seem most beneficial to those who
are desirous of extending the industry,
and when l have little leisure will
prepare paper giving the result of my
experience, study and observation, agri-
culturally and economically, of this soon
to be most important industry of this
land. This paper l shall be pleased to
deliver before your representative as
sembly at some future time.
Respectfully, RICHARD GIRD.
Resolutions of thanks to Messrs. Gird
and Oxnard, and j. M. Crawley, J. A.
Muir, Robt. ]. Hamilton and other To-
cal officers and employees of the Southern
Pacific company were unanimously ad-
opted,