The record-union., 1897-02-02

Tulare. Fresno. Merced San Joaquin
Colusa. Yuba, Sutter. Butte. Teham1.
and in fact nearly every other county
of the State where bunch grass amt
alfillera grew in abundance. and which
during the summer months to all ap-
pearances looked withered. contained
all the nutritious qualities of well cured
( hay. Sheep multiplied in marvellous
rapidity until 1876. when they mum
bered nearly 100000 on the various
ranges. and which year yielded us n
wool clip Of 5Gj5O.91O pounds. at
price in san Francisco of an average OF
10 cents per pound in the grease. ag-
gregating over $4,000. 900 in value.
From that year, which proved % be
the zenith of the sheep industry. other
agricultural pursuits made serious In
roads. and with the falling of prices
owners gradually disposed of their
fiOcks and sought other avenues for in
Vestment, until to-day. with change
in tariff laws. this great industry has
| shrunk to such extent that we have
only about 100000 sheep in the entire
| State, with a wool product of 2719J.5JU
pounds with nominal value. The low
| tariff now existing on foreign stocks is
not conducive to any extension at this
time Of this industry although there
are now many acres of land that could
| be better utilized for sheep raising than
in any other product should prices war
rant extension of this interest.
\ detailed review of last years wool
clip specially prepared for this report
by F. L. Orcutt, wool broker, viii Dc
found among our tables of production.
SUGAR BEETS.
There is without any question suffi-
cient land in California that will yield
twelve tons of sugar beets per acre per
annum of - per cent. saccharine mat
ter of 50 per cent. fine to supply the
United States with sugar.
We pay to foreign countries over
S100,00O,000 annually for sugar, and
produce less than 300, 900 tons. Here is
an industry that opens up an avenue for
investment of capital that stands with
out precedent in the history of agri-
culture
Germany with only about ten years
experience in growing sugar beets pro-
duced ,G26, ,9eS tons Of sugar in the sea-
son of 1S9J-g6. In that country this in
dustry was encouraged and promoted
by the Government through the bounty
system, and the opportunity to extend
the production of sugar for her own US
is now at hand. The time is ripe for
such a move, and we hope Congress will.
during the forthcoming session. increase
the tariff on foreign impOrtations and
make provisions for a bounty on sugar
produced in the United States that will
partially insure the investment of lar
ger capital in this most promising in
dust1y
The California beet sugar production
for 1896 is as follows:
Pounds
Chino factory y..............16.00 16. 900 O0D
Watsonville factory .......3S, 800, 216
AlvaradO factory ......... 10000, 900
Total .................. 81 800 21j
The agricultural classes stand ready
with a little assurance of partial sue
cess at the beginning TO put them on
their feet. to go into this business with
a vim. Practical steps have already
been taken in several of our most pros
porous counties to test lands for the
production of the sugar beet.
The Sacramento Chamber of Com
merce have with commendable energy
gone about this by most intelligent
methods. They have obtained the ser
vices of a practical expert in sugar
beet culture to conduct the experiments.
In other words he viii conduct expert
mental plants in different parts of the
county giving his entire attention to
caring for and bringing to analysis this
years crop of beets. This course was
considered the safest way to properly
show the adaptability of a variety Of
soils, some of which had not heretofore
produced paying crops From expert
ence in other sections of the State 1t
was found that many of the farmers
who had attempted the tests were too
occupied with their annual crops at the
time the seeded patches needed atten-