Evening star., 1896-12-08
AMERICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY
JmmeAse Am0unt6 Paid for the In
ported Article.


Jmmense Amounts Paid for the Ina
ported Article.
Eweod g. PETER IN tie Chicago Record.
The average American is unaware that o.,
per cent Of the sugar used in the United
states Is imported. and when he learns that
such is fact he naturally wenders why Il
Ii true. There is an immense amount Of
sugar used in the United States, and the
fact that only 10 per cent of it is made at
home means that we pay to foreign coun-
tries every year nearly $125. 100000 that
night just as well be kept at home. There
Is no reason connected with either soil or
climate why the United States should not
produce all the sugar II consumes, or, for
that matter, double or three times the
amount. 1t would have to be manufactured
from sugar beets, and, as they are adapted
to the soil in nearly ell parts of the coun-
try, the raw material could be secured cas-
lily.
Sugar cane can be raised successfully
only In Louisiana, and. perhaps, In parts OF
Texas and Mississippi, but even there it
does not attain a full maturity. An i'm
nlense amount Of money has been spent 10y
the government on experiments with sorg-
EuL. care. Theoretically, 1t is the best raw
material from which to manufacture sugar;
practically. 1t cannot be worked with profit.
Three idle sorghum sugar factories in Kan
sas attest this fact. The of beetS in
srgar-makins. on the contrary, has proved
profitable in all parts of the country. Elev-
en- factories will work up the crop of 1897,
as against one factory seven years ago
The first successful beet sugar factory
was built in Alvarado. Cal. in 1876. 1t has
been enlarged several times, and is still
1rnninS. The next one built was at Wat
sonville, Cal. by Claus Spreckels, in 1889.
1t has the largest capacity OF any beer
sugar factory IN the country but makes
nn'v raw sugar. which is refined in San
Francisco. In 1880 a company. headed by
Henry +. Oxnard, erected factory in
Grand Island. Neb.. and in 1891 the same
company built factories at Norfolk, Neb.,
and Chino. Cal. factory was built in Le
hi. Utah. also, In 1891. During the last year
two new factories may be recorded-one at
Eddy. N. NJ. built by the capital of Nil
waukee brewers. and one at Menomnee
Falls, Wis, built by Henry Kon. German.
Factories also are in course of construction
at Mount Nebo. Utah; Alamitos, Cal. and
Salinas, Cal. The latter is owned by Claus
Spreckels. and will have capacity OF 3,'sD
tens Of beets day, or twice the capacity
OF any other beet sugar factory in the
world. small factory at Staunton.
Va. was a success. but burned couple of
years ago. and has not yet been rebuilt.
Several other factories are talked OF.
Among those which p~obabiy will be built
are at Greeley. Colo: crt Scott. Kan, and
ole in southern Ohio
The location of these factories shows the
immense possibilities of the sugar beet in
this country. From Wisconsin in the north
10 Virginia in the south, from Ono in
the east to California in the west, have the
heets been grown successfully.
a beet sugar factory is an immense con-
cern. and when all dependent upon it are
considered, some estimate may be made of
It's value to community. There is no bet
ter Illustration than the Chino, Cal, fac
tory. There Is nothing else of the town be-
sides the sugar factory. Six years ago the
{ Chino ranch apparently was fit only for
grazing land. There were only herders on
the ranch and few houses in which they
,tn1y witt h
beets. proved that they could be raised sue
cessfuliy, and a factory soon was built
there. Today there are about 1890 persons
on the ranch 800 of whom live in the VIII
lage Of Chino. Nearly siso.o00 is paid every
year to the farmers for beets nearly S2U.D
every month during the working season for
labor. and the factory uses the residue
of crude coal oil for fuel. a large OIL re
firery has been built on the ranch. which
ms nufactures gasoline. benzine and kero-
sene.
That shows the value of a sugar factory
to the Chino ranch but in addition 10 this
must be considered the immense amount Of
manufactured goods consumed by a sugar
factory every year. The crop OF lSb6 was
a very small one at Chino. but it used up
1J0,GW sugar baS3. 1000 sugar barrels, ls',-
COO yards of filter cloth. 5000 tons of lime
rock. 100 tons of bulk lime, 1903 tons of
coke, 5000 barrels of petroleum. lo,Er
pounds Of talow. 15,0OO gallons of lubri-
oants. 1000 pounds OF cup grease, AMI
many smaller items, such as 500 files.
/ 200 pounds of twine. 80 dozen spools of
thread. 1880 slicing knives. 4.ooo gallons
of gasoline etc. Nor is the item Of freight
by any means small one in connection
with sugar factory. The shipping In Of
supplies and shipping out of sugar is an
immense item of expense. Jay Gould is
said oEce to have offered a sugar manufac-
turer $4,000 IL he would build a sugar fac
tory at some point on the Missouri Pacific
railroad.
In addition to the factories already in op-
GRAFTON, 1t would take about 500 the size of
the one at Chino to supply this country
just given for Chino. multiplied by 800.
would give the wealth 10 be distributed ev-
cry year by the buildings of these factories.
The factories themselves would cost 81. 900.
600 apiece. All the machinery necessary
for sugar manufacture can be made in this
country, SO that not one cent of the $SiU,
GO0OOO necessary to build the factories
would have to be sent abroad
There are several reasons why the man.
ufacture Of sugar has not been developed
in proportion with the resources of the
country. One reason is that sugar cane is
adapted to only a small territory in the
south. and az sorghum cane proved fail
IRE there was nothing suitable to all parts
of the country until the sugar beet was in
troduced. Mr.. Henry F.. Oxnard spent three
years In Europe studying the growth of
beets and their manufacture into sugar
with reference to the future of the industry
in the United States. Manufacturers assert
that Congress has not properly encouraged
the sugar industry, and thai on that ac-
count capital has been slow to invest. How
ever this may be. the immense possibilities
Of beet sugar to the farmer. laborer, me-
chanic and capitalist cannot long be over
looked. and If any governmental protection
is necessary for the building of factories to
supply the home consumption of sugar ii
must sooner or later be given.