Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-05
SUGAR BEET TALK
Santa Fe's Advantages for Location
Of a Sugar Factory--Labor
Easily Obtained.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS
Three Sources Of Supply Will Furnish
Beets for Long Run-Proftable
Operations Must Be on Large
Scale.

During the past few months the New
MEXICAN has made a special study OF
the two-fold subject of the culture OF
sugar beets and the manufacture of the
product thereof into sugar, with view
to the general and immediate introduc
tion of this great wealth-producing in
dustry into New Mexico. 1t has studied
with the deepest interest the data gath.
cred by the Santa Fe board of trade
touching the careful and continued beet
sugar experiments made in this locality
and elsewhere in the territory during the
past three years; has witnessed with the
keenest satisfaction the marked degree
of success that has attended the prac-
tical experiment in beet sugar making
at Eddy in the Pecos valley, and has in
stituted impartial comparisons between
the results attained in this territory and
those attained in California, Utah and
Nebraska, where the industry has al
ready become conspicuous factor in
the prosperity OF the people. Asa result
OF these Investigations, this journal has
arrived at the deliberate conclusion that
on all the valley lands in New Mexico,
susceptible OF irrigation, may be grown
beets of satisfactory sugar content and
also satisfactory yield per acre and that
the industry may rapidly bo developed
into perennial source of profit and
prosperity to the people OF this territory.
The facts adduced make these remarks
apply with especial force to sunny Santa
Fe.
Santa Fe's Advantages.
At the government station at Las Cru
ces, where tests of the whole territory
have been made, Santa Fe heads the list
with beets testing 22.5 per cent of sugar
content, and the percentage OF the whole
territory is we'll above the average
deemed profitable for sugar making in
other parts of the world. The Rio Grande
valley, along the line of the A.. IT, & S.
+. road, from Santa Fe to Ell Paso south,
and along the D. & R. G. road, from
Santa Fe to the Colorado line north, fur
nishes source of supply for beets un-
equaled probably by any situation in
California or anywhere else, the differ
ences in altitude and climate giving
length Of season for planting and har-
vesting from the middle Of March to the
first OF December.
To aid in establishing the industry in
the territory, both the above mentioned
roads leading into Santa Fe offer the
lowest possible freight rates on beets to
the factory and otherwise offer every
possible facility in aid of esta blishing the
sugar industry in the territory.
At Santa Fe, the supply OF mountain
water is not only ample, soft and pure,
but may be delivered in the factory at
the present fire pressure OF las pounds
A mountain Of limestone oft.excellent
quality is found in the immediate SUI
burbs of the city. In the county is an
inexhaustible supply of coal now de-
livered in Santa Fe at SO per ton, and. a
larger consumption will insure lower
price.
Santa Fe has population of about
5000 people, the great majority
practically unemployed, except in
making little crops OF chilli, corn
and beans, and like garden truck
upon which they mainly subsist. The
nimble fingers of these native truck
farmers are exactly suited to the light
labor mainly required in sugar beet cul-
ture. The native farmer in New Mex
leo is we'll paid at $50 per month and
the lighter labor of women and children,
accustomed to garden work, can be en-
ployed as cheaply as in Germany or in
any other sugar producing region.
Labor Easily Obtained.
Speaking on this point Captain S. II.