The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-12
THE BEET SUGARINDUSTRY.
4 GREAT OPPORTUNITY OFFERED
TO AMERICAN FtRMERs.

much attention In this country. The consump-
ton Of sugar In the United States IL about
60 pounds per capita. With the population II
20, 900. 900 this would make our total annual
consumption fully 2,loo, 900 tons.
The production Of sugar In this country does
not exceed 400 900 tons. aud Of this only about
10000 tons 10 beet sugar. We import from
foreign countries about LOO, 900 tons. most OF
II being brown or raw sugar. which Is purchased
by the American Sugar RenpinR Company. and
by other reaners. who refine and sell IL. directly
or indirectly. to consumers. Most Of this vast
quantity OF imported sugar comes from coun.
tries which either buy very little from us or dis
eliminate against American products. In 1896
the Eastern renners bought 5OO,0 900 tons OF
brown or raw German beet suesr. for which. in-
Guiding freight. about $50. 900, 900 must have
been paid. IL Is not yet definitely reported what
our total foreign sugar bill was In 1906. but for
the year ending June 80. 1894. It was sl20, 0o0.-
900. Generally, II takes nearly all our exports
Of breadstuffs to pay for our imported sugar.
All our exports OF provisions, including meat
and dairy products. barely pay our sugar bill.
AS We arc now situated. our financial condi-
ton Is constantly strained aud put in peril be-
cause Of the calls on us from foreign countries
for gold. IL we should make only one.half OF
the sugar we use. the relief. so far as our
financial situation Is concerned, would be
equivalent: TO doubling our gold production.
II Is probable that with only moderate pro-
lection the beet sugar ind will be rapidly
developed. but with the beat we can hope for II
Is doubtful II tho production OF sugar in the
United States can catch up with the consump-
ton In twenty years. by that time our p,pula-
tion will certainly DO l00.0 600, 900. and our con-
sumption OF sugar will he at least !. 1900. 900 tons
annually. of which probably 5000. 900 tons will
be beet sugar. Our yearly sugar bill will proba-
bly, then amount to At least $3.50, 900. 900.
What would the production Of 5000 900
tons of beet sugar mean to our farmers
IL would mean that they must produce annually
about 80. 000,0 900 tons OF sugar bc-ts. which
would give them, at the lowest estimate. $780,
600, 900. II wouid employ 3.30O.0 900 acres Of
the best farming land and not less than 500. 900
men In the fields. II would also employ an army
OF mon In the factories. in transportation. and In
other empioyments. 1t would use 5000. 900
tons Of coal. 100000 tons of Limestone. and
call for = vast quantity OF chemicals. machinery.
sc. Why should we not do all this ourselves.
instead Of allowing II to be done by foreign
countries which buy comparatively little from
us. or which Discriminate against our productsr
II President Mckinley can be the founder of
this industry It will be one of the chief glories
OF his administration
1t 10 doubtful /. sugar bcets can no success
fully raised In many OF the Southern States,
where both the days and nights are hot. tho
atmosphere humid, and the autumn. or rlpen-
Ing season. rainy. It Il also doubtful II the
extreme Northern States can successfully pros
ccute this industry. The seasons are too short,
and severe winter comes too early. But we
have a large area OF country which 10 better
adapted TO the business than any part OF En-
rope. More than one-half the weight OF tho
suuar In tls h..t ennas frotn The ann shin. mud
not from the soil. aud those countries which
have n mild climate. combined with the great
est amount OF sunlight, with a minimum Of air
moisture. are the ones which will produce sugar
beets the richest In sugar and with the highest
degree OF purity. This accounts for the fact
that California. Titan. and New Mexico have
beaten the worlds record in raising rich and
pure sugar beets.
In France and Germany the percentage OF
sugar In The beets varies from 10 TO IA per cont.
depending on the season. A fair average. tax.
Ing one season with another. Is about l2 tn II
per cent, from which $50 TO 200 pounds a ton
Of marketable sugar are extracted.
The importance Of having bsets with a hlEh
with tho.e OF . low percentage, In the success
!ul prosecution of this industry cannot be over
estimated. A factory able to work 100. 900 tons
of beets in a campaign OF 1870 days would cost.
with sufficient working capital. about $3.50. 900.
The difference In YIELD OF sugar from 10000
5000 ions OF sugar. The factory expense would
the former. but the increased gross In
come. with sugar at ~ cents a pound. would
ruling. wonid be nearly equally divided between
the farmers and the factory. The question Of
PUTTY HItS a An s' thn, , sau Siybs ,m tnr narc msnr.:
OF sugar the higher the purity; that means that
the juice contains less of those elements which
The average purity OF beets raised In France
and Germany 4. about no, while that OF those
it is. therefore. easy to see to what extent the
successful prosecution OF the beet sugar bust.
T T1I. IN ni npy not bef :. .p p .a ssi's BY m.ny G% wso s%:
Inevitable. In Sebr.,ia, fot instance. they
1 miis. nearer as S4'' marE:i, and shs yet p ssih III , h .;s sp'
bounty, the financial results have. been insig-
ElicAnt con. pared with those obtain~d by the
proper rSSsSl.s si. sn,%1:." ~s Teri Tor ' litigation . .San ID .ns
almost constant sunshine. and = dry ripening
and A.. h ssr ns rim: S Tsst,; raj. Them after sf
o oi thy aria nsl' res sRS'' the :u laii: and d earn. %S'' xl Dss9:
arid region where irrigation Is possible, which
ars not too far north. and wLirh are not Of too
ssIIysse Carrying on the bee, sugar business. p''"'A'
Many take It for granted that the interests OF
the sugar rennsrs and those Of tho beet sugar
AtI VIII w S'h't ~ 's.h kNt
Probably this may not be found. in actual expo
rience. to be true.
In France. Germany. and Austria . very largo
proportion of the beet sugar factories make
brown. or raw. sugar. which they sell to the
large r%efneries nj home or ship to foreign re.
timers. A large quantity goes to England and
Scotland, and. rs before stated. over 500,0 900
tons we're purchased by American rsdners In
lsU,i. Brown beet sugar OF n certain polari-
scope test is quite AS valuable as cane sugar OF
the same test. The mode OF refining Is precisely
the same, and there 10 no difference In the
resulting product.
White beet sugar produced by our American
factories does not sell for quite as much as tho
white sugar produced by tho great refneriss. II
"a sometimes a little of color, and the quality IN
the same factory may vary slightly from year
TO year, deprnding on tho quality OF the 6eets or
the skin Of those running the factory. In fact,
the production o. raw sugar and refining and
distributing II 70 the public are two different
trades. Sugar relnerios are usually enormous
concerns, employing large capital, high-prlced
men OF great ak II, and fitted with labOr.savinR
ana costly device. and prooesses which any
beet sugar factory cannot afford. They receive
raw sugar from many sources, II 10 mixed up
and treated as n whole, Just AS the ores are Ia
large smelters. and the result Ii n uniform prod
uct from month to month and year to year.
which II In difficult 10 obtain by any single beet
sugar factory. one moderate sized refinery In