Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-03-23
SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY
Tho Substantial Progress that
Is Being Made.
THE IOWA EXPERIMENTAL STATION
The Most Extensive Work IN the state
Carried on In the Vicinity of Waterloo,
Cedar Falls, Mound City and Clear
Lake-Seed for Distribution.

Beet sugar production has made sub
stantial progress in the United States
during the past year. notwithstanding
the interruption OF the Spanish war,
and the consequent acquisition of some
of the richest sugar producing islands
on the globe. Without doubt these
events had a depressing effect for a
time and tended to retard tfe invest
ment of capital In promoting this en-
terprise, but since the policy of the
government toward these islands has
become better understood, feeling of
confidence has been restored and in
terest in sugar production has been
revived. Michigan, New York Califor-
mia and Minnesota have new factories
that have been in successful operation
during the past season. There are
now eighteen factories in the United
States in running order having a total
capacity of 500 tons of beets daily,
and contracts have been let for eight
more to be erected in 1899-one in ILL
nois, one in Nebraska, one in Colorado
and five in Michigan.
Investigations in sugar beet growing
have been continued with very graft
flying results at the experiment station
at Ames and at many other points in
the state during the year. These re-
suits clearly confirm the previously eX-
pressed conviction that Iowa, particu-
larly the northern two-thirds of the
state, lies within the belt of profitable
sugar production. and that the state
is entirely capable Of producing it's
own sugar-an agricultural and man
ufacturing product for which it is now
expanding over $6,000000 annually.
Not only this but it can also produce
sugar for other states less favorably
situated and immeasurably improve
the system of agriculture and stock
raising now prevailing
On the station grounds the expert
ments included the different methods
OF cultivation before and after seeding
thinning to different distances in the
row and different widths between the
rows, the application of salt and lime
and various barnyard manures. The
commercial fertilizers have also been
tested in former experiments and 1T
has been quite conclusively shown that
the production of high grade sugar
beets is practicable without, the aid of
any of these expensive methods. Any
good corn land in Iowa will produce
sugar beets. This is a marked adj
vantage over foreign sugar producers,
as in Germany, the sugar beet lands
sometimes require as high as $40 to SIS
worth of commercial fertilizers per
acre.
The most extensive work in sugar
beet growing in Iowa was carried on
in the vicinity of Waterloo and Cedar
Falls, Mason City and Clear Lake, He'd
rick and Dubuque, but many other To-
calities have produced good beets. This
work should be continued in syste-
matte and thorough manner as it is
necessary before factories will be built
to demonstrate not only the possibili-
ties of the soil, but the capabilities and
interest of the farmers as we'll, for It
pust be shown that they are wiling to
take hold of it and grow good beets in
such quantities as will insure the sue
cessful operation of a factory. Two
firms of eastern capitalists have late
ly written to the station that they are
ready to erect factories IN favorable
localities where such interest is mani
tested. Capital Is now seeking paying
investment and it will be much easier
to secure the means necessary for the
erection of factories than during the
recent years of financial depression.
The outlook for sugar production in
the United States has never been more
encouraging than it is at the present
time, and the localities that are suited
to this industry should now make
every effort to promote 1t
The Iowa experiment station has on
hand a large quantity of high grade
imported beet seed that will be dis
tributed to those who are sufficiently
interested to grow the beets carefully
according to instructions that will be
sent and samples Of the beets will be
analysed free and the results reported.
! Communities that are DESTROYS of Sc
curing a factory, however, should or
ganize at once and employ an expert
to superintend the work of preparing
the soil and cultivating, growing and
gathering the crop. Much will depend
on uniformity of good results in any
community where the erection OF a
factory is contemplated and this can
only be attained by entrusting the sup
ervision of the work to an experienced
Director, Iowa Experiment Station.
beet grower. Z. r. CURIlSS,