The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-11-27


fairly leveI, well drained, undsr proper
cultivation. which viii produce other
good crops will produce good crop OF
sugar beets. II natural drainage 10 de-
sesent tile draining mus. b practised.
Proper drainage IL absolutely essential TO
success, - the beet. after heavy raansalis,
IL Left standing In stagpant pools Of water
loses . portion Of It's sugar content. In
California the average product IL l534 tons
per acre. which sell for 81 30 70 ss-O ton
In California, where there are thres Of the
largest beet sugar manufactorIes In the
world in successful operation and tso
others projected, the LABOR in the beet
fields Is not performed BY Chinese, but BY
Americans, who are constantly going
there from the East to engage in this most
profitable industry. 1t i quite true that
the beet sugar industry has made the
greatest progress In California, because il
was FIRST successfully established there BY
Mr.. e. II. Dyer at Aivarado. and later By
Mr.. Claus Spreckeis, who IL said to now
contsol all OF the California manufactures.
Washington sugar producers would have
the best Of California in one respect: coal
IL chesp. while the Puget sound coal con-
sumed in California costs SO ton. The
sugar best il grown in Europe where lands
are worth from $500 TO 81 900 an acre and
In California from $3.50 to 500 IN acre. Bel
gum, with an area Of less than ons-fourth
Of that of New York. has population to
support OF $3.50. 0s3 Tor 5sl persons to the
square milel as compared 70 $685., s53 for
New York Tor i22 TO the square miie). and
has found IL profitable to produces ~, 0o0-
600 pounds Of beet sugar upon the average
for the years 1s0o9i-92-93. notwithstanding
the low prices prevailing. The fact that
We have consumed 90 large percentage OF
cane sugar in this country il due to the
fact that the best sugar Is nearly all con-
sumed In Europe. whore IL 10 produced,
and We are compelled to obtain our supply
Ia cane sugar-producing countries. which
are nearer 70 as.
The beet sugar industry was first estab-
lished In France By Napoleon Bonaparte.
and was maintained there by large govern
ment bounties. Ths cost ct that time was
80 cents pound, which price has since
been steadily reduced until in 1856 the
market price was ETA per gross ton. or 8
cents and q small fraction per pound. Tho
total production of beet sugar in Europe
in 1883 was 2, 7s5 s4 tons. against 350l $40
in ls9i-92, that being the last crop OF which
We have complete returns.
Sugar beets can be grown successfully at
high or low attitudes IN the United States.
You can grow sugar beets in Nebraska at
2,700 feet above sea level. and yet in
Belgium the lands upon which sugar bee;s
are grown are below the level OF the sea,
and in that small country more than
400. 00o. 900 pounds of beet sugar are pro-
duced annually. Under the Mckinley
tariff the government bounty Of 2 cents
pound Is building up this valuable indus
try of beet sugar. Tho present price paid
by sugar manufacturers for beets in Cali
fornia. Nebraska and Utah 10 possible only
because Of the bounty. II In the farmer
who gets the greater part Of the bounty in
the price Of his beets. OF course under the
projected Democratic tariff this sugar
bounty viii b repealed. The sound policy
10 that of the Mckinley tariff which by
this bounty encourages the development
Of sugar production here. But the Democ-
racy are 20 stupid that they will neither
nourish the cane, beet and sorghum
sugar industries by bounty, but
they viii not even execute the
tariff pledge of their platform and
impose . revenue tar on sugar, which
would practically serve as . stimulus to
the sugar beet industry. Some day Amer
lea will raise all her own sugar, as Ger
many does. OF whom We buy some $751;
00o.oa0 of beet sugar. There Is no reason
why our country east and west Of the
Rocky mountains cannot be easily made
to produce beet sugar enough to supply
our wants. There is no reason why Wash
ington cannot become sugar producing
state as we'll as fruit producing state, a
hop producing and q wheat producing
state.
Coat and lumber are exhaustible prod
ucts. but the real wealth of the state of
Washington is agricultural, If she but
only knew IL. Some day we shall have q
large population. not entirely because of
our lumber and coal, but chiefly because
of our inexhaustible capacity to produce
wheat, fruit, hops and, as We believe and
predict, beet sugar.