Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-20
A COMING INDUSTRY
Beet Sugar Factory May Be Built
at Santa Fe Very Soon.
OLD ELECTRIC PLANT SOLD
This Clears the Way for the New Electric
and Water improvement Company to
Push Several Important
Projects.

The old plant of the Santa Fe Elec-
trio Company was sold to-day at mas
ter's sale at the court house under a de-
cree of foreclosure for SO, 900 indebted
ness. The property, which includes the
old power house, poles and wires in the
city, was bought by Charles F. Street,
of New York City, for the English
bondholders of the electric light COM
pany. The price at which it was bid in
was $4,19S.15. Attorney E. A. Fiske
made the sale, and Captain S. Fl. Day
acted as agent for Mr.. Street.
The sale of this property may be of
immense Importance to Santa Fe. 1t
is intimated hat the English capital
lists will finish the dam and reservoir
| north of town at a cost of $500, 900. They
| would utilize the old power house, and,
in addition, erect a beet sugar factory
near the railroad.
For two years Captain S. H.. Day, SUI
perintendent of the Santa Fe Electric
Light and Power Company, and of the
Santa Fe Water Improvement Com
pany, has been experimenting with su-
gar beets, and has ascertained that no.
| where in New Mexico can the beets
| be raised to such advantage as around
Santa Fe. While raising beets with 8
per cent of sugar pays, Captain Day is
| getting beets with 20 per cent of sugar.
There is 10000 acres Of land around
| Santa Fe where sugar beets of a high
| grade could easily be raised and pay
handsomely. The water for irrigation
would be furnished by the present and
necessary for the manufacture of beet
sugar is right at hand in Santa Fe. A
mile and a half from the city is a large
mountain of the best limestone to be
found in the west. 1t equals and even
excels the famous limestone of Santa
Cruz, Cal. Captain Day has in his office
about a dozen samples of this lime
stone, which a be placed very easily
and cheaply upon the market. Coal
mines to furnish fuel for the factory are
in operation within thirty-five miles of
the city.
With two railroads, parts of immense
trunk systems, having stations at San
ia Fe, this city would be an ideal spot
one factory were once put IN a profit
able basis, others would follow, as all
the farmers from Santa Fe to Taos
could engage in sugar beet raising and
supply several large factories.
Captain Day is preparing an exhaust
i've report on his experiments with
beets, or the limestone and other ma
terial and advantages Of this section
for beet sugar factories. He will send
the report, together with samples of
beets, limestone and other material, to
the New Mexico Agricultural College,
which will publish the paper for public
distribution.
With 10000 acres in cultivation in
beets, eve with a profit of only SIS to
I $40 per acre, the farmers would be pros
porous. There would be a great demand
for water and electric power on the
lands, at the factory and in the city for
manufacturing.
The success Of one factory would be
followed by the building of others, and
the valleys Of northern New Mexico
would in hat case be devoted chiefly
to raising sugar beets. A plant would
cost at least 5000, 900, but the investment
Of the English capitalists would pay.
In years to come the sugar beet will
be as much the staple crop Of New Mex
leo as corn and wheat are now of the
middle states. The soil and climate of
this territory are peculiarly adapted to
this product, and especially in the vi
| entity Of Santa Fee experiments have
brought astonishing results, Possess
ing here cheap labor, ~unexcelled lime
borhood, ample railroad facilities, thou
sands of fertile acres and an enterpris-
ing irrigation company with abundant
| capital backing it, there is no reaso
why Santa Fe should not become a
| center of sugar beet sugar industry.
+! The United States produce only one-
| fifth of the sugar her people consume.
Over 1000, 900, 900 pounds Of sugar is an
nually imported, and the greater part
Of that is beet sugar. The United
States pays annually $125, 900, 900 for
sugar, and though 900 more beet sugar
factories were established in the United
| States to-day at an expenditure of
$480, 900, 900, they would scarcely supply
| the home market. With every other in
dustry bounded by competition and
begging for foreign markets, there is
an immense opening for the employ
ment of capital on a profitable basis in
the building of beet sugar mills and re-
fineries and the encouragement Of su-
gar beet raising.