The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-09-20
SUGAR BEET CARE
Operations of a New York
Company This Year.
Every encouragement Given the
Farmers-A Large Output Ex-
pected -Seeds-PriCes.

The factory of the Binghamton, \.
Y, Beet-Sugar Company is located al
what is now known as Sugar Station
three miles east of the center Of Bing-
| hamton, y. Y, or about one mile east
of the city limits Of the D. L. & w. r
| r. and the Susquehanna river. The y.
| Y l. E. & w. r. r. runs just across
| the river from the factory and also
| connects with the d. L. & W. at Bing-
! hamton, as does the Delaware & Hud-
| son. so that the railroad facilities are
all that could be desired The COM
pany occupies twenty acres of land
| ten of which was presented to ii. by the
president, Mr.. julius z. Rogers
The plant will be run during the sea
son day and night, Sundays excepted,
with a capacity of from $50 to 500 tons
of beets, or % to 80 tons of refined
sugar per day of "a hours. This is
twice the capacity of the only other
sugar factory in the State, the one at
Rome, which was built last year Mr..
Van Nieuwenhuyse, formerly of Bel
gium, who put up the Rome factory
and managed it so successfully last
year. has entire charge Of the con-
structiOn here, and viii superintend
the running of the factory this sea-
son.
The farmers in this section are rails
ing over two thousand acres of beetS
this summer, nearly all of which were
in fine growing condition in July, hav-
ing been cultivated, thinned, and kept
free from weeds. The contracts run
all the way from so acres to half an
acre, but as the number of farmers is
about LOO, the average shows nearly
two acres for each, although there are
a great many raising one acre this year
to try the crop before going into it
extensively. The seed was imported
from France and Germany by the COM
pany, and is of two varieties, the Vii
NORM and the Observation-Disclosures, both
being white varieties. The price agreed
upon for the beets this year is So per
ton, f o. b., where grown, the COM
pany paying freight. This is cOnsid-
cradle more than is paid by some of
the western factories.
The soil and climate are we'll adapt
ed to the raising of sugar beets, there
being much land composed of deep
loan which is readily kept free from
weeds and is easily penetrated by the
beet, making a long, smooth root.
Most of the farmers raise berries,
onions cabbages, carrots and other
vegetables for market as the soil is
adapted to these crops, and for this
reason have improved tools and are
able to care for the beets more intel
ligently than others would who have
no experience in raising small fruits
and vegetables.
The company has sent agents
through the country twice, instructing
and advising the farmers, making a
written report of the condition of each
field, so that the company now has a
record of every acre of beets, showing
kind of soil, the method of preparing
the same, variety of seed used, time of
planting, kind and amount of fertilizer
used, and care taken of the crop. Also
the previous condition Of the land,
and the name Of the crop raised last
year.
The agents will go all over the
ground again later on, showing the
farmers how to dig and top the beets,
and make another report Of the COndi-
ton of the crop and the apparent effect
of the weather, etc. From these re-
ports it is expected that the company
will be able to determine the kind of
soil, method of cultivation and kind of
fertilizer best adapted for producing
beetS rich In sugar as well as giving q
large tonnage per acre. These reports
will give an accurate history of every
piece of beets grown for the company
this year, and will certainly enable
them to give valuable information to
the farmers for next years crop. The
present report shows over 80 per cent
Of the fields to have an excellent stand
of beets, the other 20 per cent being
rather below an average, owing to
various causes and errors which could
be remedied another season.