Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-03-26
BEET SUGAR RAISING.
The Senate Committees Re-
port is Favorable to Its
Cultivation.

Considerable interest IL taken
throughout the state in the matter
OF beet sugar raising. A committee
was appointed in the early part VI
this session of the state legislature
to investigate as to the profitable
ness Of beet sugar raising IN this
state. The following senators com
prise the committee: Keller. Smith,
Greer, Lloyd. French and Cronkhite.
The report of the committee was
presented n few DAVIS ago. The Min
neapOlis journal of the 10th inst.
contained an article on this subject
and following we give some extracts
from It:
lin the early days of the year the
members were inclined to he amused
when Senator Keller began his agita-
ton for an inquiry into the question
Of beet sugar production in Mime
sofa. The senator went ahe' d
nevertheless and with the earnest
and intelligent cooperation of Pro-
lessor P. E Kaiser. whom he was
fortunate enough to secure to act as
clerk Of the committee, will be able
to pr sent report which, when
printed in pamphlet form for general
distribution will prove very great
aid to the state in it's efforts to estab-
lisn the beet sugar industry in Min
nesOta.
"For, lie it known, the legislature
OF 1895 enacted q Ia " giving bounty
of IL upon each pound of beet sugar
manufactured within the state from
Minneseta-grown vegetables. All
that has been lacking to enable g.
start has heen the difficulty expert
enced IN convincing farmers that
sugar beets could be profitably
grown in Minnesota, and that point
is the particular one treated in the
Forthcoming report of the committee.
"At the present time there are
negotiations under way between
ladelphia capitalists and the
Great Northern. Northern Pacific
and st. Paul & Duluth railways
which. if successfully completed, will
result in the establishment of Jour
large beet-sugar factories in this
state. and there are numerous
private parties who have signified a
desire to en,er upon the field which
looks SO promising.
''Some inter sting calculations
have been made by Professor Kaiser.
He says that during the years from
1891 to 1895 inclusive the United
States imported sugar and mOlasses
to the value of $40, O0O, 900 exclusive
OF tariff charges. During the same
period, in round numbers. our ex-
ports of wheat and flour amounted
t. 1886, zoo. 900. Add the duty
charges to the former and it is al
most as great as the latter.
"PrOfessOr Kaiser also estimates
that the SOC, 900 people in Minnesota
USE annually 9O,OOO.OOO pounds of
sugar, costing about $4.0 O0, 900, every
cent of which goes out Of the state.
1t needs no further argument to-
show the vastness of the market
which awaits the coming industry.
"Senator Keller is constantly in
receipt Of letters upon the subject,
and in one received yesterday from
Claus Frahm, a prominent capitalist
of Hastings, Neb., the writer says
the Nebraska farmers during the past
year sold all the sugar beets they
could raise at S. per ton, in most
cases amounting to more per acre
than the cost of the land. 1t ia hoped
that wide publicity Of these facts will
induce Minnesota farmers to look
with more favor upon the produc-
ton of sugar beets.
I'm order to give a fair idea OF the
value of the beet sugar industry it Is
necessary to quote q few figures.
The total product of beet sugar In
the United States in 1895 was 3O,0O
tons; of cane sugar, $4,000 tons.
Total domestic production, including
maple and sorghum sugar, 81. 900
tons. The total imports were 1.450.-
600 tons, valued at $110,000,',00. TIE
total consumption was ,950, 900 tons
OF 2,MO pounds. 1t can be seen by
this that the United States consumes
about 1900, 600 tons Of sugar annual
~, and produces but 377,o00 tons Of
sugar annually.
"Che committee points out that
with the advent of u new tariff law,
with duty on sugar restored. the
production of the sugar beet will be-
come one of the most important in