The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-03
BEET SUGAR FOR NORTH CARO-
LIMA.

There is to be an enormous beet crop
planted this year in Germany. The
acreage will be not less than 1868, 900
and the product is estimated at $780,
900 tons. To show how rapidly the beet
industry has developed, in 1851 the total
crop for all Europe was 1852, 900 tons.
If this crop is 50 important, is so large
in Europe what is to hinder develop
ment on a huge scale in our own cOun-
try? Cannot the United States grow
enough sugar producing beets to meet
the demands of consumers? It requires
a certain knowledge of the business
an intelligent insight, to make a sue
cess of it. But so it does with tobac-
co. 1t seems that the beet f1ourishes
where there is abundant sunshine. The
south ought then to be the right sec
ton for it. The Atlanta Journal says
of the beet product:
The German beets contain about 13
per cent. of sugar, and beets grown
in the northern states do not show
a materially higher average, if reports
collected by the government are trust
worthy. The desired percentage of SUI
gar in beets, SO far as profits are con-
cerned, is Is. This percentage is read
lily reached in New Mexico and Ari-
IONA on irrigated lands. Why is not
such a percentage possible under the
sun as it shines in Georgia? The diff
ference in the value of beets is seen at
once in the case of a factory that
handles 100, 600 tons of beets during the
season. Such a factory you'd extract
from Is per cent. beets 1000 more tons
of sugar than it could get from IA per
cent beets. Two thousand tons Of sugar
would bring $3.50, 000-a very fat divi-
dend on the factory investment, even
if higher prices were paid for high
grade beets."
1t would be we'll for those interested
in agriculture to look closely into the
beet product. 1t is we'll understood
that in a state a diversity of industries
is necessary and is a sure way to pros
perity. It is these small industries as
well as the large that help to make a
state prosperous. In agriculture it has
been found profitable to cultivate
many products. If the climate of North
Carolina is favorable to obtaining good
results in beet cultivation then it
should be prosecuted with intelligence
and vigor. If the sunshine, the soil
the labor, the means are all united
satisfactorily then the growth of the
beet and the production of sugar there
from ought to be profitable and salts
factory. Our state agricultural de-
partment can probably give the needed
information as to this particular indus
try. We know of no reason why the
climate and soil of North Carolina
should not be especially we'll adapted
to this new product. We would sup
to it than Germany or New York or
the northwest where the climate is
more rigorous. That there is much
profit in the beet sugar is doubtless
true when the percentage of sugar is
fairly high. The Journal gives this:
Fourteen per cent. beets in New
Mexico are considered worth "a a ton,
and % cents is paid for each extra !
per cent. of sugar in the beets. Twelve
tons per acre is an average crop. A
factory that uses 100, 900 tons of beets
in a season would pay to the farmers
of the neighborhoOd about $3.50, 900;
would pay out for labor about $3.50, 900,
and would produce pulps that would
fatten 10000 head of cattle, sheep and
hogs"
There ought to be some intelligent
tests made in North Carolina without
delay. If a few good farmers under
the direction of the agricultural de-
partment would make experiments and
report results it would then be ascer-
tanned as to whether the sugar beet
was the thing for this state.