Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-28
Industry win Unquestionably be
Developed In Iowa.
FITNESS OF SOIL OF STATE ASSURED.
The Question for lows Farmers and
Capitalists to Consider Now Is of
Practical Characteristics.
rotary Wilson's View.

this, country will produce allSthe sugar
that is required for home consumption,
and most likely the time is not far dis
KANT when we shall be able to enter
the markets of the world as sellers in
stead OF buyers. We have the requisite
conditions Of soil and climate to grow
sugar beets in almost unlimited guam
titles, sufficiently rich and pure in
quality to develop profitable industry
In that line. The question for Iowa
farmers and capitalists to consider at
this time is of "a practical character,
and not theoretical, viz: Shall this
state have a part in the development
of that great industry? The period of
experimentation to test the fitness of
our soil and climate is past, and now
we are confronted with the necessity of
= practical work in the line of organiza-
tion to secure a fair portion of the
business and profits
The convention at Clear Lake, Oct.
IS, gave strong impetus in the right
direction, and it only remains to secure
the cooperation of farmers, gardeners
and capitalists to start a half dozen or
more factories in Iowa within the com
ing year. Michigan is. reported to have
nine beet sugar factories erected, with
an average capacity of 500 tons of beets
per day, which will be able to turn out
45,0v- tons III graduated sugar per an
nun. Shall Iowa lag in the rear?
AT the Clear Lake convention Secre-
tary Wilson presided and delivered a
very able address, from which the fol-
lowing extracts are taken:
The United States for number of
years past has been buying about $780,
100000 worth of sugar from foreign
countries. 1t has been sometimes more
and sometimes less than this amount.
The experiment stations of the several
states of the union have been looking
into the feasibility Of producing our
I own sugar at home from the sugar
beet. This is done in many countries
OF Europe, and to such an extent has
this industry grown that more sugar
is now made from beets than from
cane. Experimentation has been car
ried on at the Iowa experiment station
for quite a number Of years, and val
liable information can now be had by
anyone who. desires to consult the rec
ords OF the work there. From 1891 to
1896 Professor Curtiss and myself an
nually grew beets on quite a large
scale for the economic purpose of feed
ing to the dairy cows, young cattle,
: 1attening animals, and. incidentally,
for,the purpose of ascertaining the per
cent of sugar in the beets, the purity of
the juice and the tonnage to be had
from varioues Iowa conditions. This
FORK will be found recorded in the
bulletins of the station, beginning with
No. is and running on through sue
ceeding years, and experiment work
along this line is still being done at
Ames.
The history of sugar-malsing from
beets in the several nations of Europe
tells us that 10 per cent OF sugar in the
beet, was about so per cent of purity
/ of juice, gives profitable crop. The
French people made an exhibition OF
information regarding the sugar beet
and. the production of sugar on cards
at the exposition at Chicago in 1898,
showing that they had Is and frac-
tion per cent of sugar in the beet.
There is no difficulty in getting beets
as rich as this in sugar in the state OF
Iowa. In some parts OF the state the
percentage has run much higher. One
of the first considerations, however, in
the profitable production Of sugar beets
is, the. conditions that win produce i,
heavy tonnage by the acre. In this re-
gard the state of Iowa will have very
few equals in the United States. Our
rich soils will give us>a heavy tonnage
We got as high as twenty-eight tons to
the acre at Ames In 1891. From ten to
twelve tons is the average throughout
the United States at the present time
perhaps, though in some OF the rich
valleys OF the Rock mountain states
they grow as high as twenty or thirty
tons to the acre, where all the condi-
tions are favorable. There are many
reasons why the state of Iowa should
at this time turn its attention to this
Industry. 1t Introduces extensive
farming, calling for the application oi
skill and experience that will set al
work elements in a neighborhood here.
tofore unproductiye. Young people
can get work to do in thinning the
beets. We had shat done at Ames by
the students, who are always glad to
help us out. Young people in. the vii.
lage will be quate as anxious as the stu.
dents to earn little money. 1t will
extend labor further into the fall fol
people ir the several neigAborhoods
h.H "a :. n> uc.