The San Francisco call., 1896-04-12

servers who are well informed on the sugar
industry it is evident that the beet Will, IN
the very near future, rank with fruit and
grain in the development of the agricul-
tural interests of the State. Its culture is
now, more than ever before, attracting the
attention of farmers, manufacturers and
capitalists. Its prospects are alluring and
are becoming better understood, and as
the industry thus grows in popularity its
progress cannot be retarded throughout
the State.
The farmer who has lost heart in grow
ing wheat and still retains misgivings as
10 the iuture of fruit finds himself deeply
interested IN the culture of beets. In
many instances the farmer, desirous of a
more complete knowledge of the soil,
turns to the sugar beet, with faith in its
bountiful return for his labor and invest
ment AS rule, however, he is but half
informed upon the question. The result
is constant inquiry from all directions,
but more particularly from the districts
supposed TO be adapted to beet culture
The problems contained in these inquiries
have excited a widespread interest, as they
include the questions of suitability of SOIL
treatment of the beet in its various stages
and the benefits 10 be derived from the
business.
that California is superior to all the other
States as land for the production of the
sugar beet. Chauncey Depew remarked
only a few days ago that "Callfornia WAS
noted far and near for her beets," and he
then expressed something OF the States
reputation.
"California is ahead of them all, was
the positive way in which c. a Granger,
an authority on sugar beet culture re-
piled TO query calling for comparison
with Virginia, Nebraska and Utah. Next
10 Southern California, or perhaps equal
10 II, are the Sacramento and San Joaquin
valleys The beets that were grown there
in the early days were equal 10 those grown
in the South. The rainy season comes in
at the ri ght time for getting an early stand
for the beets, and then your dry season
comes in al the right time TO not interfere
with the rlpening, and the strength OF the
beet is not washed out by the rains. In
other words, there is no part of this country
that furnishes the advantages that Central
and Southern California CO for beet-rais-
ing"
Mr.. Home, manager of the Grand island
and Norfolk sugar factory, said in a recent
interview:
you know my interests are all in this
country, but to be candid California fur
nishes the best territory for the raising OF
beets on the western continent. From nv
Investigations in California, Utah and Ne
braska l am convinced that the farmers of
California have great field in Sugar-beet
growing.
81 think when they study the question
and know what can be done their land will
be more valuable for beet-growing than
ever it was for wheat or than it can be for
fruit, unless there is a different arrange
ment than there is at the present time for
handling fruit in the cities East. If Cali
fornia should have 200 beet-sugar factories
the size OF those at Chino and WatsonvilIe
they could not furnish quarter of the
sugar that is shipped from the Eastern
countries to the United States
These statements represent the convic-
tions of experts IN beet-sugar culture and
manufacture, ana are therefore the best
evidence that could be offered to prove the
comparative superiority of California as a
producer of the sugar-beet.
1t is only now, however, that prospects
for general inauguration of this industry
throughout the great interior valleys
seems reasonably certain. Watsonville
began with a factory in 1890, having a
capacity OF about 300 tons, and each year
the capacity has been increased until now
at least 500 tons of sugar beets are treated
daily. The farmers were slow to move in
the new industry, but the profits from
raising beets have been so much more
than those of grain or fruit culture that
applications nowadays to the factory far
exceed the capacity. Grain-sowing other
than for home use Is almost abandoned
and fruit-planting is limited except where
beers and orchards are grown together. In
the vicinity of the other factories pre-
yalling air OF prosperity made apparent in
the comfortable homes and the happy
people tells its own story.
The question has been asked as to the
number OF acres necessary to be planted to
support the establishment of beet-sugar
factory. About 80. 600 acres would be the
requisite number. Not that factory
would consume the annual product OF
that acreage, but rather about one-third of
that.
The requisition for threefold the capacity
OF factory is made upon the proposition
that in order to keep the land in a pro-
ductive state it must be changed at least
once in three years from beet planting to
that OF some cereal suitable to the charac-
ter of the soil.
This would naturally lead to the con-
clusion that the sugar-beet is destructive
TO soil. Professor Hilgard of the Uniyer-
sity of California in lecture on crops and
fertilizers gave the following interesting
information on the subject, as deduced
from scientific Investigations:
Next comes the sugar beet, in which so many
are interested now, and which you may take
representing the root crops in general
Here we have first, in contrast with wheat and
its 246 pounds OF ash for the total plant, not
less than 1850 pounds of ash taken from one
= u,
over three-fourths of ton of total soil ingre-
dients, when the whole plant is removed 1t
is true that this total comes down to less than
$50 pounds If we leave the leafy tops in the
field; yet the roots alone remove twenty times
much potash as does wheat, three times as
much phosphoric acid, and considerably over
twice much nitrogen. This is an
enormous draft as compared with any
of these other crops, especially OH
potash; but phosphoric acid and nitrogen are
also drawn upon quite heavily. You win OBJ
serve that the draft of beets on all the sub
stances is scarcely approached by any crops in
the table except alfalfa and ramie. But note
also, that the sugar, the comm ercially salable
part OF the beet crop, consists OF nothing that
is IN this table at all; like the oil of the olive
1t comes entirely from the air; and the rest
can be given back to the land. The sugar beet
need not, therefore, be exhaustive crop Mt
all, provided you return all the offal, which
can be done without special difficulty.
The very important question which next
arises, Does beet-raising pay? is answered
with figures, the result OF careful and in
telllgent experiments and actual culture
on large scale. Reports from Watson
vile, Cal, show that for 1891 the average
yield per acre for beets was between thir-
teen and fourteen tons, and the average
price paid So per ton. The cost of produc-
ton. not including rent of land, was from