The sun., 1898-01-17
MIL MAKE BEET SUGAR
Big Industry to Be Created in
Pennsylvania.
PLANS OF FRANK G. EOSLER
Experiments Already Made Prove
Highly Satisfactory and They
Will Be Tried on More
Extended Scale.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. l6.--A great beet
sugar industry is to be established in the
Cumberland Valley.
The plans for the creation OF the big
industry We're made public Saturday
night by Frank c. Bosler, of Carlisle, b.
fore the Farmers Institute for Philadel-
phia county in Horticultural Hall. :,
If the plans are carried through to the
success which he predicts, there will be
a sort Of revolution in. farming in that To-
calty, which will extend to other parts
OF the State. He stands ready, with A.
sociates, to put up factory for making
beet sugar, which will cost about $780,
600, provided the farmers will cooper
ate in raising enough beets of the right
quality. This, he declares, they en-
easily do, at profit far above that
which they now derive from their lands,
For a period Of more than two year4
Mr.. Bosler has been making q practical
study Of the beet sugar business in all il
aspects. Last summer he had score Of
armers in the Cumberland Valley grow
ng beet as an experiment, and the re-
suits were decidedly satisfactory. The
average yield Of beets grown from the
DCSV SCCO, IAlsCu HUH w IT VU1l0 p4I,
acre, and the percentage of sugar in them
ran high, as proven by analysis at the
State Agricultural Experiment Station.
As final test of the quantity and
quality of the beets that can be raised,
800 farmers have agreed each to plant
an acre or more with them the coming
season, and the outcome will be watched
with great interest.
The territory in which the trials are
to be made includes parts of Cumber-
land, franklin, Adams and Dauphin
counties. Samples OF the crop from
every farm will be analysed by the State
Agricultural authorities, and the bulk of
the experiment beets will be fed to cattle,
so that the growers will sustain no loss.
When the value of the industry has been
made evident to all parties, the erection
of the factory will be begun. The farm
crs will sign contracts to plant 1000 or
5000 acres with beets to keep the factory
going.
In explaining his plans to the Institute
Mr.. Boslcr said ''The farmers of the
United States are now raising wheat at
small profit for export, while much of
the sugar they use is brought from other
countries. A large proportion of it is
beet sugar, which comes from Germany.
Sugar beets can be grown almost any
where, but last yea only 40,0 900 tons Of
beet sugar out OF a total of 100000 tons
OF sugar used in this country was pro-
duced within its boundaries.
There are nine factories to make it in
the United States, all OF them in the
West, but one, which was recently es-
tablished with success in New York.
American methods of extracting the
sugar are great improvements over those
of Germany, and the cost Of manufac-
t,lre has been reduced to a minimum.
The process, simply stated, is to cleanse
the beets, slice them and then put them
in very hot water under great pressure.
The syrup which results is purified,
bleached and evaporated. The pulp re-
manning is excellent food for cattle.
''The fact that the business must BE-
conducted on a large scale is due to the
very expensive character of the neces-
sary machinery. A complete outfit costs
about $500, 1000, and to supply factory
30 fitted up there should be about 7,0W
to 5000 acres planted in beets. The
quantity usually to be grown is from 10
TO 20 tons an acre, and the lowest price
paid is 81 ton.
can essential is that the seed planted
shall be the right kind to produce beets
with high percentage Of sugar and II
per cent. by weight is a good average.
We do not want merely tons Of beets.
but beets containing tons of sugar. An
other thing Of Importance in considering
The matter is that a beet crop is not ex-
hausting to the soil.
The elements Of the sugar are taken
mostly from the air and water. The tops
Ire thrown back on the land and the pulp
'eturns through the cattle"
Presiding over the Institute was Ed
win Lonsdale, of the Pennsylvania Horti-
cultural Society. Among the subjects
discussed were "Window Gardening"
Professor George c. Butt OF State Col
ege; Potato Culture as Applied to
Vacant Lots in Towns and Cities" Alva
Agee, Cheshire, O.; "Europe's Compe-
ition With American Farmers Col.
ieorge Knox Mccain, Philadelphia, and
Valuable Apples and Other Fruits"
Professor S. B. Heiges of York.