The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-11-14
LET US RAISE OUR OWN SUGAR.

An article recently published in the
Washington Post, proposing that this
country should raise its own sugar, is
attracting a great deal of attention,
and is everywhere approved and sup
ported. The Atlanta journal com
mepts as follows OH the Posts propo
sition
'.Tfe Washington Post which knows
about other things than politics, il Of
the opinion that the people of this
country Il raise all the sugar they
need. At present they produce only y
small par5 of it, hut the success of the
beet sugar industry in several States
indicates that it could be enlarged so
as to meet the entire domestic demand
for sugar.
"The consumption of sugar in this
country during the year 1892, the last
year for which the figures are obtaina-
BILE, was 1927. 000, 900 pounds. AT the
low price of four cents a pound this
quantity Of sugcr would be worth
more than SITS, 600, 900, or considera-
bly, more than one-half of the cotton
crop.
"Tlie American Agricultural has
reports from various sources showing
that great progress has been made in
the manufacture OF beet sugar il the
United States. One Of the Spreckles
factories at Watsonville, Cal will pay
out for beets and labor this year not
less than $3.50, 900. During the past
eight years it has disbnrsed over So,
100000 on the same account, or on an
average of $1,000 per day since it start
ed work. and has protected the whole
section from distress during the hard
times.' 1t is stated that this year the
mill will handle not less than 12O,00
tons of bcets, and it will be nearly
Christmas before the crop is harvest
ed. 1t is further noted that S150,000
cash was paid out in one day by the
factory, 100000 of it being for beets
alone. sOver 900 cattle are being fed
at the creamery, mostly with beet
pulp and 1926 tons of sugar were
turned out as the product of about
four months work.
The beet sugar industry is by no
means confined TO the Pacific slope.
Iii Tx HUI O"n VI 1ICtAS tt1s tiiCtC
is II factory which paid $4,000 fnr
beets in q single month last year. Up
t., Oct IA the factory had received
$4,000 tons Of bcets, had worked up
$11 900 tons, 'and had made l 1000
sacks of refined sngar.' The local
paper states that 5000 acres have been
planted in beets this year that to
raise, harvest and deliver them costs
$50 an acre that the average crop
this season is Is tons per acre, which
at 81 a ton brings $50 an acre, and,
therefore, means $50 clear profit per
acre 10 the farmer On the whole
acreage planted this means that 500,
900 clear profit will be distributed
among the farmers this year. There
is no place in the world this same
paper adds, where tbs farmers are
doing BETTER
Nebraska produces sugar beets of
fine quality, and the sugar factories in
that State are doing well. A new fac
tory has just been completed in the
Pecos Valley, New Mexico. 1t is be-
lieved by those who have made a prac-
teal investigation Of the subject that
the sugar beet can be cultivated sue
cesstuliy il the South. Mr.. Hartmann,
OF this city IS now in his native Ger
man village, working up a colony to
settle Il large tract of land neal Cal
houn Falls on the Savannah river. in
South Carolina. The colony will nn-
dertake various enterprises, one Of the
most important of which will he the
production of the sugar beet. Mr..
Hartmann believes that the soil in
that region will yield prolific crops Of
this article, and predicts that a large
beet sugar factory will soon be ia op-
GRAFTON there.
"ShOuld the experiment at Calhoun
Falls succeed it will surely be followed
by others in the South, and it is quite
possible that the sugar beet may give
US a new and very profitable industry"
There a be no doubt that with but
little encouragement this country could
easily raise all the sugar it needs for
home consumption. AL, sugar produc-
ing countries became such by O
agemeEt, and the beet root industry of
Europe would never have been estab-
lishod without the system of bounties
inaagurated by Napoleon.
After the passage of the bounty law
there was a great impetus given to the
sugar industry 10 this country, and a
very marked increase in the output !:
and the repeal Of that law has not
stopped the advance. Il will be noted
IN the article we publish how consld-
cradle has been the increase in the