The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-13
PROFIT IN BEET SUGAR.

PROFIT IN BEET SUGAR.
No one is justified in concluding, be-
cause the G l o b is opposed to foster
ing the Inauguration of the beet sugar
industry in this state by largess drawn
from the state treasury that, therefore,
it antagonizes the development of that
industry. 1t is against any system of
bounties. whether Of the direct or in
direct methods, because it believes the
principle is hostile to the spirit of lib
erty, because industry is only healthy
when it depends upon itself and be-
cause all experience here and elsewhere
proves that state help necessitates con-
slant additions, the aided industries
growing more dependent in proportion
to the assistance rendered. 1t need
point to no more striking illustrations
than sugar in Louisiana and the re-
markabe displays of dependence pre-
scented in the hearings before the ways
and means committee.
The installation of beet sugar in the
Northwest is not only possible with
out state aid, but has been demonstrat-
ed to be commercially feasible without
It, The two factors are the farmers to
produce the beets and the capitalists
to furnish and operate the plants. If
the former can be convinced that beet
growing pays, they will be only too
glad to engage in it, and there is abun-
dance of idle money, hungry for work
that is remunerative ready for invest
ment when satisfied of reasonable Sc
curity in the way of profits. The Me-
nominee Falls enterprise illustrates
this, and it also illustrates the diff
culties in the way of the initiation of
the industry. Mr. Korn, as a German,
is familiar with the industry in that
country. He experimental with beets
in the vicinity of the Falls to ascertain
their saccharine qualities and found
that the average percentage was equal
to that of the German fields He spent
two years in urging the farmers there
abOuts to grow beets, and finally sue
ceeded in enlisting about $50 farmers
who made contracts to grow beets each
year for ten years. The first factor
in the problem was thus fixed The
second was more easily obtained Cap
ftal, thus assured of the raw material,
came forward readily to supply the
money needed for the plant
The same process, resting solely upon
individual initiation and enterprise, can
be repeated in this state. The soil and
climate are the same The average
summer heat of 20 degrees prevails in
this state over a larger area than in
Wisconsin. Prof. Henry, of the Wis
consin agricultural station, has thor
Oughly investigated the soil and eli
matte conditions and the yield Of beets
in quantity and sugar. In each 100
pounds Of beet there are fifteen pounds
Of solids. These, after the Juice is ex-
tracted, form an excellent cattle food
and go back to the farms. The leaves
remain on the farm for food and ma
nurial use. The average yield is from
fifteen to twenty tons to the acre, rang
ing from 1870 pounds in one case to
1865 in another. One experiment on 8
acres showed the cost of growing beets
that beets can be grown more cheaply
here than in Germany, mainly because
of cheaper land and the use of labor
saving machinery. Mr.. Korn claims
that he can convert the beets into
sugar with about half the force re-
quired in the German reflneries
He estimates the percentage of sugar
In our beets at Il TO Is per cent Each
ton of beets yields go pounds of sugar;
each average acre yields 1920 pounds,
a yield nearly double that Of the cane
fields, where g hCgshead an acre is con-
sidered a good return. The price paid
for beets ranges from 81 to S. a ton,
some factories making a fiat rate.
others making the price depend upon
the saccharine quality. This gives q
gross return to the grower Of from $50
70 500 an acre. At the average of 4
cents for the refined sugar the refiner
gets $11.20 out of each ton of average
beets that cost him from 81 to S.. The
capacity of the Menominee Falls plant
Is 275 tons Of beets per day Making
all allowances for shrinkage in these
estimates, it is clear that there Is a
good profit both for the farmer and the
retiner in beet sugar making without
any bounty from the state or nation.
That it should be expected or asked is