Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-01-06
THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.
Hints to the Growers and Manufaotu-
rers.
George Moss, in N. Y. Tribune.l

grown IN the last nifty years lroLl slhalL pe-
ginnings to enormous proportions, until
now three-fifths of the worlds supply
comes from the sugar beet, A remarkable
feature of the growth is the fact that until
very recently the United States had not
entered upon prosecution of the industry
except by spasmodic and generally mef-
fectual efforts. This country pays out
more than $lOO,O0O,O00 annually for SUI
gar-an amount exceeding the average re-
ceipts for the wheat it sells abroad.
Whether or not this shall any longer con-
tinue, and whether or not our conditions
of soil and climate are entirely favorable
to the highest and most profitable form of
beet sugar culture is a problem which ag-
ricultursts, publicists and other wise men
happily promise to solve in the future.
Within the last decade practical steps have
been taken in the solution, and under tie
operations Of the Dingley law new impetus
has been given to these efforts Already
eight extensive beet sugar factories are in
operation in the United States. Out Of
past failures have come successes in beet
cultivation and beet sugar production;
therefore, indeed, sweet have been the
uses of adversely AS far back rs 1879 the
climate conditions most favorable to the
growth of the useful plant were considered
in a paper read before the Association for
the Advancement of the Science at Sara
toga by DR.. William McMurtie. The best
meteorological conditions are warm, dry
spring and temperate, moist summer,
followed by cool, dry autumn.
An average temperature of 70 degrees
for the months of June, July and August,
the country level, soil warm and inclined
to be sandy insure the best results. Eu-
ropean beet sugar lands are worth $500 to
S640 per acre. In California near the fac
tories lands sell at from $3.50 to $500 and
rent annually for from $40 to $25 per acie.
Coal there, from Seattle, costs from S. to
$40 per ton, an item to be carefully con-
sidered in the cost of making sugar Chino
Valley, in California, is known far and
wide as the paradise Of farmers, who are
there employed almost exclusively i'll rails
ing sugar beets. Here in the Eastern
States are believed to be equal advantages
for cultivation of the same product, and Of
all home markets there is n me- so ste dy
and expansive as that of sugar.
a brief eptome of the history of the I'll
gar beet will prove interesting. About the
middle of the last century Alderman chem
list demonstrated that sugar could be made
from beets. This discovery rested fifty
years as a scientific curiosity. In 1913
Napoleon put the industry on its feet, and
sixteen thousand acres were planted to
beets in France. In 1880 some Philadel-
phians tried to make beet sugar and failed.
Eight years later similar fate waited upon
a like effort in Massachusetts. About 1910
the Germans began their successful prose
cution of the industry. In 1868 it was
yainly tried in Illinois and Wisconsin, al
though small factory at Fond du Lac,
costing 12,0O0 scored a success. The
manager of this factory was called to Al
varldo, Cal, to superintend large one
costing $3.50, 1000 This enterprise went to
the wall, as did similar one in the same
State shortly thereafter. One ofthe stock
holders in these California plants, E. II.
Dyer, is the practical pioneer beet-sugar
man in the United States. He spentsome
years in recognizing the companies and
getting new capital. He started again in
1879, and the venture this time was sue
cess. In 1855 Claus Spreckles built large
factory at jacksonville, Cal; in 1890 the
Oxnards put one up at Grand Island, Neb.,
later another at Norfolk, Neb., and also
one at Chino, Cal. In 1890 Mr.. Dyer was
invited to Utah to erect and equip fac
tory for stock company there. Last year
Mr.. Spreckles built another factory at Sa-
limos, CAL, while one Was moved from
Canada to New Mexico, and one was built
at Menominee Falls. This year one was
erected at Los Alamitos, CAL, and another
at Rome, N. Y, the latter being moved
from near Montreal. The growth of the
industry in this country is shown by the
acreage of beets in California. In 1898
there were $3.50 acres; in 1894, 1888, and
in 1897, 5000 acres. Five years ago the
beet sugar produced in the United States
amounted to S,000,G GOO pounds; in 1898,
81 100000 pounds; 1894, 42 100000; in
1896, 100000. The estimated produc-
ton this year in California is 65,000,00O
pounds; Utah, 100000; New Mexico, A.
600, 600; Nebraska. 1900, 900; Wisconsin,
l, 100000; New York, 100000. Total
100000 pounds-46,0 600 tons, or about
one-fftieth Of the amount consumed in the
United States. Germany produced in 1896
l, AYE, O00,0 900 pounds; France, 1,4oo, ooo,-
ooo-more than six times as much as ill
1860, or about all she consumed. In the
United States the consumption per capita
is sixty-six pounds annually. We import
four million pounds. The worlds pro-
duction of beet sugar is about FIVE million
tons; cane sugar, three million tons.
There is State bounty on beet sugar in
New York, which guarantees the farmer
S. ton for his beets of certain standard
of excellence. The State has also made
appropriations to the Agricultural Depart.
ment OF Cornell University for the purpose
of testing beet culture. The University
sent out seed free, and beets were grown
in thirty-one different counties. The av-
erage tonnage per acre shows over %, and
the average percentage of sugar content
1871, or about twenty barrels of sugar per