The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-12-21
SUGAR BEET CULTURE.
THIS MAY BECOME A PROFI-
TABLE INDUSTRY HERE.

lid MA DGOOM Il u Z 1eOT l
TABLE INDUSTRY HERE.
Prof. Massey's Report Upon His
Observations and Investiga
tions in Nebraska---A New In
dustry Open to North Caroline
if Our Soil and Climate are
Adapted Thereto.
Prof. w. F. Massey, who with Con.
gresham S. B. Alexander, recently
made trip to the West to observe
the sugar beet industry with view te
its pos ;ible cultivation for the produc
ton of sugar in this State, has made
the following report:
NOVEMBER IS, 1898.
To His E1cellency Elias Carr, GoO
e,nor Of North Carolina:
Having been requested by you to
be one of a committee TO go to Ne
braska for the purpose of investigating
the condition there of the culture o
the sugar beet and the manufacture oI
sugar therefrom, and having performed
to the best of my ability the duty
placed upon me, l beg leave to submit
a statement in regard to this trip. 1t
may be proper here to state that the
opportunity to make this investigation
was afforded without any expense to
the State or myself by gentlemen who
are interested in the development of
the sugar beet industry in the South
The gentlemen engaged in this enter
prise wish to go to work intelligently
and make sure of success before invest.
ing large capital in the enterprise
They therefore desired that some one
interested in the agricultural develop
ment of the State and the South
should carefully investigate what has
been done, and is being done else
where, so as to fully understand the
conditions necessary for success
Hon. S. B. Alexander, of Charlotte
and the writer constituted this
committee, the latter going by your
request. 1t should be stated at the
outset that the manufacture of the
sugar beet has only Of late years
become possible, even with the en-,
couragement of bounty. Years ago
tests made in North Carolina showed
the beets to contain per centage Of
sugar inadequate to its profitable
manufacture under conditions prevail
ing in this country, and its production
was only possible in countries like
France and Germany, with surplus
of cheap labor. But owing to the
persistent and intelligent labors Of
German and French seed growers,
and the Investigations of German
scientists the saccharine quality of the
beet has been steadily developed until
its per centage of sugar rivals that of
the sugar cane. This has been &C
complished by careful selection, by
means of Polariscope tests of beets for
seed growing, gradually raising the
standard from year to year until the
sugar beet of to-day stands in the same
relation to that of fifteen years ago,
that the thoroughbred horse to the
scrub. A good ancestry is as valuable
in a plant as pedigee in horse.
Horticulturists understand this just as
we'll as horse breeders. This process
of selection and breeding is still kept
up by careful growers and still further
improvement in the beet will doubtless
be made. Not only has the general
saccharine quality of the beet been
thus improved, but several strains or
breeds have been produced specially
adapted to certain soils, one reaching
it best on sandy soil, another on
clay, ETC., etc. So that now growers
can select seed bred especially for the
needs of their peculiar soil. Whether
this process of development can be
carried further in our climate or
whether, as in the case of some other
seeds, we must depend upon foreign
growers remains yet to be proved.
But the indications are that an equally
intelligent course Of culture here will
give fully as good results in the seed
product, and in time we may produce
seed that for our purpose will be even
better than that now imported. With
the great future development of the
sugar industry which seems assured in
this country, our intelligent and
enterprising seed growers may be
upon to do their part in the
work Of improvement. The progress of
the Sugar Beet industry and the
of the sugar has been
more rapid than most persons imagine.
A few years ago the larger part of the
sugar of commerce was the product Of
the sugar cane. To-day this is
already reversed and the larger part is
produced by the Sugar Beet. In 1880
we produced 357 tons of Beet Sugar.
The crop or output for the present
season is estimated to be not less than
$4,000 tons. Still the increase in the
demand is such that we still produce
but about onetenth of the sugur con-
sumed in our country. The develop
ment of the Sugar Beet industry has
been largely dueto the encouragement
bounty of 2 cents per pound. While
bounty is more directly beneficial to
the manufacturer, ii is lighter tax on
the consumer than a tariff would be-
for the tariff would increase the price
of every pound used, while the bounty
only is paid on that produced in this
country. In this shape it encourages
an agricultural product, and if we
must have "protection,'' some form
that will help the farmer is desirable.
With variety of soils capable of
producing the beet in great perfection,
it behooves our people to be looking
into this matter. There are now in
operation a number of beet sugar