The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-02-19
THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.
A Few Remarks In Regard to The
Sugar Bounty.


The Northwest Can Lead The World
In The Production of Beets.
Mankato has an opportunity to Sc
cure a sugar factory, and the one
thing which, more than all else, will
keep us from securing this great in
dustry in our midst, is the present
agitation in congress for the repeal of
the sugar bounty. This is introduced
plausibly enough because Of the oppo-
sition to the payment of a sugar
bounty by the northwestern states,
where some would-be wise legislators
tell us, sugar beets can not be grown,
and consequently sugar can not be
manufactured. Now, our Board of
Trade has something pertinent to say
about the growing of sugar beets.
They have experimental with our
farmers around Mankato and have
proved that beets can be grown. The
State University, through Prof. Har-
per, has made careful study of the
production of beets in all parts of the
state Prof. Harper has stated to the
Board of Trade that all parts of Min
nesota south of a line from Duluth to
Lake Traverse, can grow good beets
because he has the analysis showing
| they have done so.
Now, it's quite likely the Board OF
Trade knows better what can be done
in Blue Earth county, than does Mr..
Holman of Indiana, who is pushing
the bounty repeal bill. And Prof.
Harper can give Mr.. Holman pointers
on Minnesota sugar beets. He has
stated that the average of all beets
raised on the State Farm analysed
16.l per cent sugar with purity of
S4.1 per cent, and some beets contain
ed 2O.4 per cent. sugar, with purity
as high as 96.6 per cent.
In Germany the beets average from
1875 to IA per cent. of sugar and IN
France about 1875 per cent. In Ger
many there are about 500 factories
and in France about 400. If, with
land worth from $3.50 to $3.50 per acre,
Germany and France can profitably
make sugar from beets containing 1875
to ii per cent. of sugar, Minnesota is
willing that it's congressman shall
think and act on the assumption that
! she can make sugar from beets con-
tanning 1875 to 20 per cent. of sugar
raised on land now worth So to SOC
per acre. And the Minnesota farmer
believes he can see the value of his
farm land greatly increased by beet
production. :"
But to establish this industry the
farmer must have time for expert
menting and learning the business OF
beet production, and the manufactur.
or must be supported in his sphere
The great drawback to the establish
ment of the industry is the large in
vestment required, and theuncertain
ty of getting the farmers to raise g
sufficient supply of beets. At the two
factories in Nebraska with capacity
CT 10000 tons each, only 5000 tons
were obtained at Norfolk and less al
Grand Island. With the U. S. bounty
and without the bonus of S100,0 Civ
en- by these places, the factories would
have run at a loss, not because there
was not sufficient profit per pound OF
sugar made, but because they could
not make enough sugar.
/ While a factory at Mankato car
surely get the first year at least 25,'
900 tons of beets, we object to con-
gress making it impossible for us tt
get the factory to use them.
When we shall know the bottom Of
this objection to the bounty we shall
find it to be, not the farmers of Min
nesota and the west, but the Ameri
can Sugar Refining Company, better
known as the "Sugar Trust" The
production of sugar from beets sounds
the death knell of this monopoly
The gentlemen in the trust know this
and they have very smoothly set about
to kill the beet sugar business and re-
tain their control over the sugar pro,
duction and consumption.
While attributing the death of the
industry to the former, every country
producing sugar from beets has paid
the industry bounty to begin with.
Napoleon subsidized it heavily in
France and it commenced under him.
Germany heavily subsidized it also,
but both Of these countries now tax
its home consumption, while they
still pay bounties for exporting it.
The present German law taxes each
ton of beets which the farmer pro-
duces for manufacture into sugar.
SLIP, or nearly one cent pound. Fol
every pound of sugar consumed there
is a tax of over q cents, so that the
Gotal tax in Germany on each pound
of sugar consumed in the country is
about 81 cents. AS result the pei
capita consumption in Germany is