The herald., 1895-08-20
Well Into the Season and a
Very Busy Place
SEVEN HUNDRED CARLOADS
This Will Be the Years Outrut a
the Chino Factory
Interesting Data Of q Great Industry Which
Presents Many Unique Fsatures-The
Finest Crop Ever Harvested

0>>S
thirty five miles east OF Los Angeles, is
well into its season of five months, and
the place presents an extremely busy ap-
pearance. The Chino beet sugar industry
is the largest OF its kind in the United
States; the surrounding beet growing
lands yield greater weight of roots to
the acre than at any other point in the
country, and the beets produce hig her
percentage o, sugar to the ton than any
where else in the world.
Tho factory started its seasons opera
rions on July 9th, since which time it has
worked up about II, 900 tons of the beet
roots. The crop is one of the finest ever
harvested, some of the beets upon analy-
sis showing % per cent of sugar. The
factory is using about 1909 tons OF roots
daily. The sugar output is assuming large
proportions, and averages 25i,S5 pounds
per day, the total output OF fine granu-
lated sugar to date being about 5000, 900
pounds.
The cost Of the facto-y ana equipment
was 81, 100, 900, and it will pay out tor
beets and labor by the end of the season
something like 500, ,0)0. The anticipated
seasons output of finished product will
DC $50 200 sacks OF fine sugar, OF 100
pounds to the sack, or total of 2S, 900, 900
pounds, which will make 700 carloads OF
twenty tons each, making thirty five
trains OF twenty cars. These figures as
sist one to comprehend the magnitude of
this great industry. To appreciate the
true immensity, however, one should
travel over the thousands OF acres planted
to this one crop; he should see the hum
dreos OF teams and men going to and
coming from the factory, and should
make the latter itself visit. The exper-
ience would be unique and could not tall
to be instructive.
The main building is 90x360 feet. the
new process separating factory 9Uxllo,
and the boiler house 50xl25. These, to-
gether with smaller buildings, cover more
tnan five acres.
The beets, after being taken from the
ground in the surrounding fields. are
topped and hauled to the factory. There
tncy are dumped into mammoth receiv-
ing trays, from which they are conveyed
to fume, where they are partially
cleaned as they are hoisted by screw
elevator. BY the latter they are raised to
the second floor, thoroughly washed and
thrown into the slicinE machines. where
they are cut into strips about quarter
of an inch through and from two to
four inches IN length.
The next operation is a sort OF sleeping
process not unlike making tea. By this
treatment every particle OF sweetness is
| extracted ana the water is drawn off,
| leaving only a thick syrup. After this
| the syrup Is treated with pulveriZed lime
and other chemicals. The lime is ex-
| tracted. when--lo! presto. change-you
have as pure and beautiful an article as
ever pleased the eye or tickled the palate.
The beets are not of the ox-blood hue.
but have a rich. creamy tint. and weigh,
on an average, four pounds each. The
seed is all i'm ported direct from Germany.
| The usual crop is twenty tons to the
acre. and s4 per ton the average price
prod ucer $50 an acre, the occupation OF
| the ''horny- handed" Is decidedly lucra-
tive one on the Chino ranch.
| The g. 900, 900 gallons of water used daily
is supplied by arteslan wells in the
vicinity. In addition to this 1t takes 10
tons OF prepared lime per diem. ms is
/ burned, crushed and pulverized on the
ground by one of the largest kilns in the
world. six runs of burrs and boiling
machinery peing kept constantly Iun.
ming.
The ten boilers furnish the enormous
amount of 25, 200 horse power and burn
crude petroleum Twenty-Five to thirty
thousand gallons of this article is sup.
piled every day through the company
| own pipe line direct from Pnente, four
teen miles away.
The machinery is never stopped from
the beginning of one season till its close,
two shifts OF men being kept at work, one
during the day and one at night. The
total number of employees. nearly all OF
whom are Americans, no Chinese or Jap
! anese being employed. is about 300.
The company has its own electric light
! plant and ice factory.
The 300 farmers on the great plantation
receive cash for their product on the 10th
of each month. Many of these own theii
own land their holdings running from
ten to sixty acres. Others pay cast
rental, when their beets are sold, of one
! fourth of their crop, TO the Chino Rancl
com pany.
The price of land, which needs no irri
CATION at any time OF the year, averages
about $50 per acre. The CHINO rancf
company still owns Al 900 acres, yer!
desirable portion OF which Is being placet
on the market.
Among other things the beautiful tnwr
of Chino boasts of nearly 1000 inhabitants
asa school children and brand nev
school house that cost over Sl.0U.
This bustling burg is situated on tn
northeast corner of the great ranch ant
is reached by the Southern Pacific ano
Chino Valley railroads.
The bulk OF the output OF the Chin'
beet sugar factory is consumed in South
ern California. Los Angeles being tn
distributing center.
NEW DEPARTMENT FOR THE SERVICE