Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-13
SUGAR MADE FROM BETS
How the Industry Has Grown Up in the
United States,
SEEKING PROPER SOIL IN THE EAST
some Iiwht ON the Methods OF the,
Sugar Trust In Dealing with Job
bcrs-Thc Export Trade in
German Bcct sugar.

for the profitable employment OF idle
money. The New York Tribune reports
! many experiments being made in the east
| to find soil suitable for the growth OF sugar
beets and the readiness OF capitalists to in.
vest in reanericS The Tribune also touches
upon the imports of German beet sugar and
shows the means employed by the Sugar
trust TO head OF what threatens to become
| dangerous rival.
1t is only within the last few months.
says the Tribune, that the people who rCnne
sugar in this country have become aware
Of new factor that promises to be very
! formidable To every family from the At
| lantic to the Pacific this new factor is Of
! interest, for the reason that II is within the
| bounds of possibility that through IL the
| price of sugar will be still further reduced.
Already it has had the effect OF lowering
slightly prices at times, though the refners
and the middlemen are reluctant to ac-
knowledge It. The new factor Is the in
crcasing production of fine quality of beet
sugar In the west and the largely increasing
| importation of the same from Germany.
Not enough has come over as yet to make
much difference, it is true, but 52ii7 tons
have been imported since January l. against
2L7li tons for the same period year ago.
and the American crop this year has aEgro-
gated 10000 tons, good 25 per cent more
than any previous season has shown
In comparison with the total consumption
of sugar in this country these figures are
very small, Of course but increasing as they
are, they have decided influence and sig-
nihcance. The people Of the United States
eat over 100000 tons OF sugar a year.
Eighty thousand tons OF beet sugar is the
amount of the German aud American prod
ucts consumed here since January /
only per cent of tho total-yet twice the
quantity of year ago.
Many have noticed this. but have sup
posed that the increase was in great part
due to the practical failure of the Cuban
sugar crop. That this has not been the
case, however, Is proved by the fact that
the American rcdners have had but little
trouble in getting enough raw or crude
sugars TO mako up the deficiency from other
paris OF the world. The sole reason seems
to be that the manufacture OF beet root
sugar is now firmly on its faet as an in
dustry, even though a small one as yet,
ana 1t can be prohtably made at selling
price n little below the best granulatcd
the rcRneIies turn out This Is a good
showing for American enterprise in the light
OF the fact that there is no longer a bounty
on sugar made In this country. and the im-
port duty on foreign refined sugar is little
less Than half what 1t used to he. Despite
this the beet people manage to cell every
pound they make directly alongside of the
German importers and in the very face of
the powerful refining combine that controls
20 per cent Of the sugar trade here.
SOME o FTHE DIFFICULTIES.
The chief difficulties In beet sugar manu-
featuring in this country have been to find
the proper soil for the growing of sugar
beets and when such soil was discovered
to make contracts with the farmers in that
vicinity for sufficient quantity of that
vegetable. Thousands OF dollars have been
spent in experiments, and poor fortune has
attended the projectors i'm most cases. Only
In the far west and on the Pacific coast up
to this time have proper localities been
found. There stand ready at a moments
notice today hundreds of thousands Of dol
lars waiting to establish beet sugar rehncries
in the cast as coon as tho right soil and
substantial guarantees of crofs can be as
sured. Men have experimental in Maine
and New Jersey, with unsatisfactory results,
and there have been thoughts Of building
refinery down on the central plains OF
Long Island, but none OF these plans have
come to Iything though it is said that tho
experiment in Maine would have succeeded
If the reiIers there had been able to yet
enough sugar boCts.
Eight sugar beet refneries are running
prosperousy In the country today. Two of
these are In Nebraska, two in Utah. and one
Is in the PCcoS valley of New Mexico. n
newly opened region that has considerable
promise in 1t. The remaining three are in
California. OF such an excellent quality IL
their product that there Is no difficulty in
selling il near by, Practically none of it
ever reaches New York and seldom any of
1t Chicago, though when any quantity of it
does arrive in the western metropolis it finds
a market easily In connection with this il
is worth noting that within the last two or
three years some very earnest attempts have
been made to raise sugar bcets in Illinois ard
to erect large plant, IL not more than one,
there. The matter went no far that "A state
commissioner was actually appointed and
the entire state secured over. The extent
and Importance OF these undertakings viii
be realized when IT Is said that to establish
n plant of this sort coats at least $500 900
and that plans for beet sugar rcfnerie9 have
been drawn on the basis OF an expenditure
of nearly a million outright.
THE GERMAN PRODUCT LEADS.
While more beet sugar comes to New York
than to any other city, IL Is nearly all tho
German product. In sritc of the fact that
this sugar has to pay an additional duty be-
cause II comes from n bounty paying
IT undersells the refined sugars by
quarter of a cent pound AT least. Until
lately very little of 1t has been consumed
directly, though many OF the smaller
grocers In the poorer parts OF town have
from time to time bought odd barrels OF 1t
because of its CheapneS3. Up to this sum-
mer, though, nc-tenths of this German beet
sugar went into the hands OF confcctioners
and plug tobacco manufacturers. There
Is another reason however, for its lack OF
sale with the wholesale grGcors. The Ameri-
can Sugar Refining company, popularity
Of getting the groccrS to handle its products.
II cells to the whOlesalers-and to them
llone-at a figure that is actually higher than
The rate the latter sell to the retailers. But
on each pound disposed OF the company (and
the opponents OF the trust have adopted this
system, tCo) gives a rebate Of three e-8xtcenths
Df a cent. This is known In the trade as a
for selling tho goods. There is
where the wholesale dealers get their profit
On sugars, and in no other way. Any per-
son can buy Of the company, but 1t s only
these dealers that get the commission or
rebate.
There is no comrulsion on the part of tho
company toward the wholesalers, bat the ad-
'antages OF sticking to 1t IN a trade way are
manifest. The department stores that have
lately gone into the grocery businesa not
1eing wholesalers have been unable 10 secure
.his commission. Yet thcy have sold upon
far below the regular retail price
Il has been supposed that they have done
his at less, but the story has now como
lut that in more than one instance II has
been the German beet sugar they were cell
ng, bought rhCaply in large qulntltioa. The
experiment fas been so successful that tho
'ainer3 are looking at the altuatlon with no
little anxiety, II Is not at all unlikely that
he consumption Of beet sugar In this way
VIII Increase. The average person cannot tell
he difference between beet and cane granu-
atcd sugar. for the reason that TO all in
ents and purposes they are the same TO the
este and eye though the beet sugar ls a
little grayeT. II is gail To he oyou rloarer