The record-union., 1897-10-19
DOMESTIC AND FoREIGN-GRoWN
SEED

SeaeAOA al schuyler during the season
Of 1893 a comparison of the beets grown
from domestic and imported seeds was
made The plants from the native
grown seed seemed to have a higher vi
tality and to be better suited to the cli-
matte conditions of the locality than
those grown from imported seeds. They
showed during the growing season
more abundant foliage and a better
development of roots. This higher vi
tality and quality Of the beets grown
from domestic seed illustrate in fore
/ IDLE degree the advisa bility of the pro-
duction Of our beet seed at home. Even
granting that seeds produced in for
eign countries have the same high quail
Tties, il must be admitted that their vi
tality is in danger Of being very much
diminished during shipment to this
country. The moist air of the holds of
the ships in which they are transport
ed often produces moldiness and incip-
lent termination. which tend to great
ly diminish their value.
Not only did the beets produced from
the home grown seed have a higher per-
centage of sugar, but they also afford
ed higher yield per acre, as deter
mined in the experiments at Schuyler
The mean tonnage per acre from the
homegrown seed was 21.1 and from the
imported seed 1T.9. The mean pounds
OF sugar produced per acre from the
home grown seed was 5,S91 and from
the imported seed 5,1S5. This shows
an increase Of about u per cent in the
actual quantity of sugar per acre when
domestic seed was used.
These data should be carefully stud
led by all those who are interested in
the production Of beet sugar in this
country. Perhaps the time has not yet
come for the inception of such a work,
| but it is evident that it will not be long
before there will be a demand for the
/ establishment in this country of a plan
tation or plantations devoted exclu-
! sively to the production of beet seeds
on the most approved scientific princi-
pies
! The quantity of seed required to plant
an acre is about fifteen pounds. The
approximate number of acres planted
to beets in this country during the past
season was 10000 requiring 100000
pounds of seed. 1t is evident that there
/ - 11CdaJ dL OpBOl LII tAC AStAfN
opera ton of a large plantation devoted
| exclusively to the production of beet
seeds for domestic use.
| Another point to be considered is that
! by the importation of foreign seeds
there is danger of introducing those
fungoid and microbian diseases of
beets which have produced such raw
ages in Europe.
First class beets rarely sell for less
than s. per ton. The Western Beet
Sugar Company of Watsonville, Cal,
stated that in it's first campaign, 1885,
50, the cost of manufacture amounted
to $50 50 per ton of sugar. At the
present time it appears that with the
best machinery and most economical
processes beet sugar can be made in
this country at a cost of from 3 to
cents per pound when the price of rich
beets does not exceed 50 ton.
COST OF FACTORY.
The cost of building a frst-class beet
sugar factory is much greater than is
commonly supposed. From the most
reliable data at hand 1t may be stated
that in Europe the cost of erecting
factory with the most modern ma
chinery Of capacity of at least 800
tons of beets per day, is about $500,
In this country it is probable that, ow-
/ ing to the Increased cost of transpor-
tation and the higher price Of labor,
the cost of similar factory would be
at least $250,000 AS has been inti-
mated before, it is not advisable to at
tempt to manufacture beet sugar with
: oil
and appliances which do not represent
the latest improvements.
1t is true that there are many parts
of sugar factory which have not
changed much within the last twenty
years, but even the muItiple-effect ap-
paratus, the strike pans, and the CEN
| trifugals, which represent the most
stable parts of the machinery. have
undergone considerable changes within
the time mentioned.
Probably one of the greatest dangers
which the beet growing industry in this
country Will meet is the tendency to be-
gin the erection of a beet-sugar factory
with cheap, old, or worn-out appara-
tus and appliances, and without
proper technical study of all the cues
t4Oiic liANOlfSu He 6NlQence Oh THIS
danger is all the more difficult, because
! there are few engineers in this country
who have devoted themselves to the
study of this problem, and European
experts are not likely to understand and
| comprehend American methods and
measures.
Numerous inquiries have been re-
ceived at this office for directions for
making beet sugar with such appliances
as cider mill and sorghum -molasses
evaporator might afford. 1t would not
be right to encourage the attempt to
manufacture beet sugar in any such
way. Nor should the expectation be
excited among our farmers that they
will be able to make a crude article of
sugar which they can dispose of to
central factory for refining purposes.
1t is best to recognize at the very
first the great expense which attends
the erection of sugar factory and the
necessity for it's meeting every modern
requirement. Beet growing and beet
sugar manufacture are two distinct in
dustries, but with common aims and
! interests.
Prepare for storms.