The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-04-14

twenty four hours. It ls now being
enlarged so as to work up $50 tons
per day. ana will run about $50 days
each year. The extraction of sugar
amounts to 1918 per cent of the
beets worked, and about twenty four
tons of fine white granulated sugar
are extracted per day
As with all new beet sugar 'ac
tories in the United States. more or
less trouble was bad in securing
sufficiency Of sugar beets 70 yield
a fair profit on the investment fac
tory must run at ite full capacity, and
shortage i'm tue required tonnage OF
beets will soon reduce profit to loss
The factory was fortunate in securing
the crop from / POOL, 400 acres The
sugar beet was a new crop to the
farmers of the .Pecos Valley and it's
cultivation but little understood
Some farmers obtained yields as high
as twenty y.two sons per acre, while
others met with more or less disap
pointment 1t is crop in which in
telligent and conscientious labor is
richly rewarded, and in which the
idle and slovenly agricultural drone
meets with his just deserts No crop
yields more willingly to intelligent
cultivation and more quickly resents
neglect. The average cost III, labor
of a thoroughly worked crop of beets
per acre is figured at about s22, that
is to say, the farmers work on this
crop and the seed, are valued at this
amount The average price paid the
farmers in 1896 for the beets, was
$3.50 per ton, and on this basis the
farmers in the Pecos Valley received
from $50 to 500 per acre. On the
whole betW cen | 800 and 1,4O0 tons
of beets were delivered to the fac
tory, for which the farmers received
in the aggregate about $4,000. or
an averge Of $43 per acre.
/ The eugar content in the beets,
under proper cultivation. was found
to be abnormally high. ranging as it
did from 13aa per cent to 2l per cent,
the average being over II per cent.
This fact alone proves the country to
be admirably adapted to. sugar beet
culture. and assures for the future
the erection Of numerous factories.
At the present time there is under
serious consideration the proposition
to erect second sugar factory in the
Pecos Valley the capacity of which
is to be suf6cientto work up 700 tons
of beets per day Over half mill
lion dollars will be expended in the
erection Of this second factory. and
when completed. this factory and the
one already built will consume dur
ing sugar campaign about II 600
tons of beets, the product of about
10000 acres At four dollars per
ton it means to the farmers of the
valley an income annually of $780,
900 for beets alone
The existing small factory has had
a most salutary effect on the pros
perity of the Pecos Valley While
operating with only one-half of the
needed quantity of sugar beets, the
factory has expended approximately
for labor and material nearly $780,
900, of which the farmers got about
S63, 900 for beets; laborers received
about $4,000 and the remainder was
paid for limestone, coal, coke, other
material and transportation An an
nusl disbursement of this kind would
be welcome anywhere in these days
of hard times
Contracts are now being made for
the beet crop Of 1897, and it is reas-
onably certain that 5000 acres will
be planted this year At a very low
estimate twelve tons should b. OBJ
tained per acre on the average, and
this would amount to $4,000 tons.
worth in cash to the farmers $l44,
600, or $48 per acre The work of
raising beets is in many respects
similar to that of raising cotton, yet
the cultivation of II, 7,2S0 acres in cot
ton would be required to produce a
value of $l44. 900. figuring on three
acres to the bale of 500 pounds, aud
price of 5 cents per pound The
beet grower has nothing to pay for
ginning or for baling According to
his contract with the factory, the
sale of his crop is assured before the
seed is planted and the price to be
paid is agreed upon when the con-
tract is made
Incident to the manufacture of
sugar are several important local in
dustries, which are almost solely de.
pendent on it First of these is the
growing of sugar beet seed, which
must be carried on as separate in
dustry ALI seed heretofore used in