The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-01-07
BETS FOR SUGAR.
A New Field May Be Opened for Farmers
in Minnesota.

in Minnesota.
Since the Cuban war has reached a
serious stage the attention of Ameri-
cans has been turned to the desirability
of producing sugar within the confines
of the United States in quantities large
enough to fully supply the demands.
Within a few days a story has been
circulated that several of the roads
running into Duluth have asserted
that they will cooperate and secure
vast acreage of sugar beets along their
lines for next year, in order that the
adaptability Of the soil of this section
may be fully ascertained. Mile Laos
county has already been tested in this
direction and the beets produced by
her soil were found to be richer in
saccharine matter than those raised in
the sections now possessing factories.
In speaking of this matter the Du-
luth Herald speaks as follows: "Tbere
can be no doubt that in the raising of
sugar beets there is a great field open
/ to the farmers of the Northwest, and
there is no apparent reason why the
industry should not thrive in the ter
ritory around Duluth. According to a
statement recently published in the
Philadelphia Times the people of the
United States consume upwards of
sixty pounds of sugar annually per
| oe
pound for the manufactured product
costs the consumers upwards of $780,
100000. OF this amount we produce
less that 3OO,0 tons and import in the
neighborhood Of 100000 tons. That
is, we purchase from South America,
the West Indies and the beet sugar
countries six pounds or more of sugar
for every pound we produce. What is
more, the cane sugar production of the
United States cannot be greatly ex-
tended owing to the fact that about all
the cane sugar producing territory is
now under cult vation. Even if we
possessed Cuba we should still have to
buy sugar from other countries, as the
largest crop yet produced in that
island did not exceed 100000 tons.
There is no doubt that if we turned
our attention to the production Of beet
sugar we need not be dependent upon
Cuba at all. Already the worlds pro-
duction of beet sugar exceeds that of
cane sugar by more than 100000 tons,
but while the United States produced
in 1896 100000 of cane sugar, only
10000 tons of beet sugar were pro-
duced. The cane sugar area of the
| country is fully occupied, but the beet
! sugar area has scarcely been entered
upon at all. The 1926, 900 tons of beet
sugar produced in 1895 we're grown ir
Germany, Austria, France, Russia
:. Belgium, Holland and Sweden and {
few smaller European countries, anG
: yet in none Of these are the conditions
> of soil and climate for sugar beet cul
q ture superior to those to be found owe
Q a,large area of the United States.
It Those who may go into the cultiva
r ton of the sugar will find a good mar
y ket for all their product in this coun
try. The home demand would absor
1000, 600 tons annually, and until thi
amount was exceeded the beet suga
farmers would have their market a
d their own doors. At the low price G
! 2 cents per pound, or $40 a ton, thi
81 would keep $8O,O00,O00 at home tina
: are now spent abroad for sugar. AS
3 matter of fact, the country has bee
: paying more than 500, 900, 900 annual
= for raw sugar for the last five years
: and as we increase in population thi
'es sum will increase in like ratio.
d The 80, 900 tons of beet sugar grow
n in 1895, while a relatively sma
amount compared with the product 4
- Germany and the other sugar GROWN
1t countries, is sufficient to constitute
. guaranty Of successful sugar cultur
when the farmers of the country ono
% turn their attention to the cultivatio
of this staple"