The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-06-15

lsGs divide this II, pounds of sugar by
the Is pounds of total solids, which
gives twelve fifteenths, equal to four.
hfths, or eighty one-hundredths; hence,
they say its coeficient of purity is So
That is about an average of purity.
Some beets go above that and some
below A high degree of purity
is very important; for every pound Of
impure solid matter in the juice keeps
pound of sugar from crystalizing.
For instance, in the average case above
given, the 8 pounds of impure solids
would keep pounds of sugar from
crystalizing so that of the 10 pounds of
sugar actually : zsent only or 10
pounds can be gotten out of it.
Unripe beets and large, rank beets,
grow on soils rich in manure and veg
etable matter or on mucky, marshy
soils, have low degree of purity. The
leaf stems and the crowns of the beete
are also full of impure solids, so that
these are cut off and used for stock
feed. In practice, the factories get an
average of 7 out of every 10 pounds Of
sugar contained in beets.
The Wisconsin Station has been dis
tributing sugar beet seeds to the farm
ers Of that State for years, and has
had reports and beets sent in for an
alysis from 517 farmers living in SO
counties The average weight of the
beets sent in range from little more
than half a pound in Lincoln county to
more than pounds each in Crawford.
The per cent. of sugar ranged from s
in Jackson county to 16 in Calumet.
The purity ranged from 65 in Merinette
to "a In Milwaukee. The average per
cent. of sugar was 121 and average
purity rs. The average per cent. in
Ohio was 13, and average purity ~
the range in per centage of sugar being
from 81 in Meigs county to over II in
Hancock, and range of purity from SO
in Anglaize to 85b in Morrow.
In Colorado, New Mexico and Ari.
IONA, much higher sugar content and
greater purity are reported, but irriga
tion is necessary in most places in those
States, as also in Utah.
The sugar beet belt is where the sum
mer temperature averages about ~
degrees.
At the Wisconsin Station, in a good
season which produced 81 tons of beets
per acre, the cost of production, har-
vesting, topping and hauling to factory
was 81 75 per ton; but in a dry year,
the cost was So rs per ton. r M.Allen,
an extensive cattle feeder, of Ames,
Neb, grew $50 acres for feed, averag-
ing 15 tons per acre, at cost Of 81 80
per ton. His foreman is an expert beet
grower from Germany, and he uses the
best machinery. The lowest price paid
in Europe is So so per ton, and in this
country 81. In California and Ne
braska, farmers often clear $50 to $50
per acre. Most of the cost of growing
beets is for labor, much of which is
thinning, and wedding, and this can be
done by the farmer and his family, thus
securing good wages in addition to the
the clear profit. The Wisconsin Station
produced beets that would yield sugar
at the rate of 8. 900 pounds per acre, but
a good average is 2, 900 to 2.5CO.
Beet growing is not exhaustive to the
sell if the tops and crowns and pulp be
fed to stock and the manure applied to
the land. Sugar is formed by union
of water and carbon, and the beets get
the carbon from the air and the water
can be cheaply replaced. A study OF
the industry in Europe shows that the
beet growing regions produce as many
cattle and as large quantity of other
crops as do any other section.
Beet sugar factories must do all their
work within few months. They can
start when the earliest beets mature,
and must then run day and night till
the weather gets too cold to handle
baets. By storing beets in pits the
season may be prolonged. Hence, the
factories must be large, and as they
use large quantities of water and coal,
they must be 80 located as to secure
these cheaply. Artesian water is best.
The cost of factory large enough to
work up $50 tons of beets in "a hours
will be about $4S, 600 for building and
$17O, 900 for machinery. A factory OF
double that capacity costs about $75,-
600 for building and $3.50, 900 for ma,
chinery.' The building should be sub
| o,I Gao nMo0R
Communities desiring to go into this
industry should organize associations
of beet growers, each member pledging