The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-20
ME. Carmody,s Paper.


Alexander Johnson, of Fort Wayne and
]. P. Carmody. of Evansville, We're also to
talk on the subject, but did not read their
papers, saying that Mr. Martindale had COW
cred it pretty fully. Mr. Carmody read a
part of his paper, as follows:
1.-THE establishment of a beet sugar plant
with the attendant agricultural adjuncts
would be of more permanent benefit to our
State than the discovery of a Klondike
within our borders, because ii would be
neyer-ending source of wealth without the
concomitant evils that ever. hover around
mining district The problem of adapta-
blity Of climate and soil within our State
has long passed the stage of conjecture
Experiments have been made during the
past season in the southern tier of counties,
bordering on the Ohio and Wabash rivers,
which under adverse circumstances of late
planting excessive dry weather and inper-
feet cultivation have resulted in the produce
ton of fair crop in about five hundred in
dividual tests. About fifty average sam
pies taken from this lot, being submitted
70 chemical analysis, showed an average
of 10 per cent. sugar at high grade of purity,
fully establishing. the. fact that southern
Indiana is pre-eminently a sugar beet pro-
ducing country This matter being settled
there are two other necessities that bear the
same relation to each other that rain and
sunshine do to vegetation. First, capital
and labor with mechanical and chemical
science to build the plant and operate it.
Second, capital and labor combined with
practical knowledge to grow the beetS. To
get these two conditions to work harmon
iously together. it will take time and ex-
1T is doubtful. in my mind, if every SUI
gar plant can be made to pay the first year
of its inauguration; yet | am just as fully
convinced that when all the existing con-
ditionS work together in harmony, the in
duStry VIII grow with its years and its la
bors, and dividends will be perpetuated. 1t
is a trite saying forewarned, forearmed,'
therefore 1t be well right here to mention
some of the difficulties that may have TO
be encountered. Farmers are never pio-
neers in any of the industries that are out
growthS OF their vocation. Few have the
capital, and none have the time to spare
from their daily labors. Hence capital
must be looked for from outside parties
these speculative times, when fortunes are
made and lost in a few days, II is difficult
10 get men OF means to invest in q slow
ploddtng legitimate business. 1t is much
easier to sell margins in wheat and corn
or stock in the myth and bubble gold mine
reported to have Just been opened at Frozen
Nose canyon, thirty miles north of the
north pole. Such tales are readily sWal-
lowed and greedy investments follow. but
so far the sweetest sugar stories yet con-
cocted have been slow to draw financial
flies.
For over thirty years it has been known
that beet sugar was a possible product of
this country. and for ten years it has been
a demonstrated fact that the industry could
be made to pay good interest on the in
vestment to both branches of the enterprise
Yet. in all this vast country. there are but
nine plants in operation. and in this grand
State of ours noted for its rich agricultural
resources, its numerous and successful man
ufactories and its abundant cheap fuel
there is not one plant devoted to this inn
portant industry Americans are the great
est sugar-eonsuming people IN the world