Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-03

Menominee Falls, and has contracted for
$500 acres of beets annually for ten years.
| At Rome, n. Y, 1.-THE first beet sugar com
pany of New York" with a capital of $780,
| 600 has purchased the plant at Farnham,
Quebec which was found to be located too
far north, and the construction Of their
works Is under way. Other companies have
been formed to build at Bowling Green, KY,
and Evansville, Ind, and at Dubuque, la.
BEET CULTURE IN NEW MEXICO.
In New Mexico the Pecos Valley Irriga-
tion company has had remarkable success
this year, and has expressed its willing
ness to invest S1,000,000 in beet industries
in that locality. This year this company
had about l 600 acres under cultivation,
and although the farmers were entirely un-
acquainted with the culture of the beet
root. the results have borne out the expert
ments made during the two years previous.
The results of the latter were astonishing,
the yield ranging from twelve to thirty
one tons acre, with an average sugar
content of Is per cent. The company pays
81 ton for beets containing IA per cent
sugar, with 25 per cent ton increase for
each additional per cent.
The average price in California Is 81 a
ton for II per cent beets, and in Ne
braska, where there is a state bounty OF
about 81 a ton, the factories are compelled
by law to pay $5 ton. A yield OF twelve
q
the beet culture requires great deal of
care and labor 1t succeeds best under in
tensive rather than extensive culture; the
net profit after paying all expenses ranges
from $40 to $50 an acre. Roughly speaking,
an acre of corn, forty bushels at 80 cents,
will buy 200 pounds of sugar, and the same
acre planted in beets will yield from 1000
to 5000 pounds in sugar.
President OXnard estimates that five acres
in sugar beets will pay as large net profit
as 100 or 200 acres, on tho average, sown in
corn or wheat.
The governmental experimental stations
have shown conclusively that beets of proper
quality and in profitable quantities, that Is
TO say. ten to twenty tons an acre OF beets
containing from IL to Is per cent of sugar,
can be grown over the larger part OF the
United States The area definitely under ey-
pertinent included that extending from New
York, Virginia and North Carolina, through
Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Mime
sofa, the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyo-
ming, Colorado and Utah to California and
Washington.
CULTIVATION AN ART
From two 10 four years are required for
beet sugar factory to become thoroughly es-
tabllshed and bring it to profitable operation.
Raising fine beet6 is an art and means a
higher standard Of agriculture than Implied
by an acre OF corn or wheat. The crop Is
a rotatlonal one and should not be grown
or four years. j. Is a splendid fertilizer and
brings the soil into admirable condition for
the growth OF other crops. Two or three
years tests are usually necessary to deter
mine If the soil Of a given section Will
produce beets OF proper quality, that Is
with a large percentage Of sugar, and in a
sufficient quantity,
For the factory itself the chief requisite
is that it be located Immediately adjacent
to rich beet land that II have an unlimited
supply of pure water. good cheap lime and
also cheap fuel As TO the capital required
the factory at Lehl City, Utah, with 1000
acres Of land and with a capacity OF up
wards OF $4,000 tons OF beets represents
an investment of 100000, all subscribed
locally. That at Chino Valley, Cal, which
includes a refinery, has about $l.OO0.000 in
vested. A beet sugar mill resembles a can
ming factory in that It is In operation only
for a brief part OF the year. the usual run
being from ninety to 100 days. In Germany