The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-04-22
SUGAR FACTORY.
Board of Trade Decides to 90
After Ii.
Land Will be Secured at Once for the
Six Mennonite Families from
Nebraska.

The board of trade, at it's special
meeting Saturday, decided to go
after the beet sugar factory. 1t is
prize we'll worthy good deal more
work to secure than seems to be re-
quired. At present it is necessary to
find land that can be rented by six
Mennonite families from Nebraska
who are expert sugar beet growers,
and who are willing to pay So to 81 an
acre rental. Besides this rental, the
land will be left free from weeds and
in condition to produce several bushels
Of wheat an acre more than it is now.
These families would like to work
eighty acres of land each, and will be
wonderful object lesson to the
farmers of the county.
Jno. G. Noe stated the object of the
meeting, and E. 1. P. Staede spoke in
an enthusiastic manner of the pros
poets of securing a factory for Man
kato. He said that sixty farmers had
agreed to raise one to two acres of
beets this year. Our farmers, not
understanding beet raising and not
having the improved machinery. will
expend as much labor on five or ten
acre field of beets as the Mennon lite
will on eighty acres. One family
without help can raise eighty acres of
beets and feed much stock on the Of
fall. II from 400 to 500 acres of suit
able land can be rented from our,
farmers, so that each family brough
in can have about eighty acres within
mile or two to work. six families
will be furnished tree by Senator Kel-
lar, who has arranged to bring thirty
families from Norfolk, Neb. These
families are to be distributed around,
and Hastings, Anoka, Winona and AL
bert Lea all want some of them. Man
kato can secure six or eight Of them,
and they will bring their own horses,
machinery, tents ETC., and demon
strate that there is more profit in
raising beets than in any other crop.
1t is then intended that the citizens
OF Mankato shall take their carriages
and take the farmers to these farms
and let them see how the work is done.
1t is intended to scatter the families
five or six miles apart, and not over
six or seven miles from Mankato. In
the fall, the beets will be brought to
Mankato, their tonnage taken, the
money received considered, the ex-
pense taken out, and everybody will
see what the profit is per acre. Then,
after harvest, it is proposed to organ
ize the work in the county and secure
contracts with the farmers to raise
5000 to 5000 acres of beets next year.
1t will be easier for six or eight men
to do this than for them to secure 200
acres now. If this can be done, beet
sugar factory will be built in Man
katO before an acre of beets has been
harvested, and in seventeen months
from now factory costing $3.50, 900
will have been built. The Mennonites
will demonstrate that sugar beet
growing is more profitable than wheat,
and as most of the work is done by
machinery it Is not nearly as hard
work as the general impression has
been that it is.
Mr.. Staede said that Senator Kel-
lar must know by Wednesday next
whether the necessary land is avail
able or not. If a factory is built in
Mankato it will raise the value of all
the real estate in the county twenty
per cent. Senator Kellar does not de-
sire to have the factories too close TO-
gether, and prefers Mankato to other
| locations for the second factory be-
cause the German population here is
greater than elsewhere, because the
proper soil is close to the city, and be-
cause of the railroad facilities. A
factory to use $50 tons of beets day
and turn out $4,000 pounds of sugar
daily would be constructed. The sea-
son here is plenty long enough to raise
beets.
The matter was talked over by the
members of the board, and w. M.
Farr agreed to try and secure eighty
acres near Eagle Lake, Mr.. Staede
the same amount in Lime town, Jno.
G. Noe the same in Mankato town, f.
M. Currier the same along the Maple
ton road. and M. G. Willard the same
in South Bend. DR.. ]. G. Curryer said
that he could procure seventy acres
in one tract-the old Garrett farm,
which had fall blowing.
motion of M. B. Haynes, Presi-
dent Shoemaker and Secretay Chap
man were made central committee
and authorized to send out men and
hire teams.
Pass & Schippel are preparing plans
for a two story brick veneered resi-.
dence to be erected on Belgrade
avenue In North Mankato, west of