The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-11
SHORT OF BEETS
California Beet Raisers
Alarmed.
Plant Destroyer Has Appeared In
t!ons-MuCh Damage Done

| OAKLAND, Aug. 31.-The beet-rais
| lest the new disease that has developed
| in the sugar-raising sections seriously
| injure the chances for big yield. The
! trouble, so far, has been most serious
| in the Salinas valley section, but re
cent reports from Alvarado and Pleas
anton, IN this county, are to the effect
| that the plant destroyer has appeared
in that neighborhood, and unless
something is done to check it immed-
ately much damage will be done 10
growing crops.
Little or nothing has been said in
print about the matter, but very seri-
Gus apprehensions have been enter
tanned for more than a month past. In
the large beet plantation near Salinas
it was noticed that the leaves of the
beets We're curling up and the beets
themselves were not maturing as they
should. The proprietors of the factor
les at Salinas and jacksonville sent
down Mr. Koebele and other entomo-
logical experts, suppOsing that the
trouble originated with an insect pest
and that it might be discovered and its
work cOunteracted.
Mr.. kOebele and the rest were not
able to discover any insect, and re-
ported that the trouble was probably
due to unfavorable climatic conditions.
1t is understood that most of the beets
in that region are affected in various
degrees, and that tract of about 1000
acres, which would have yielded some
%, 200 tons of beets, has become total
failure.
The serious question, which cannot
be fully answered until the beet fac
tories commence the years run, is
whether the new disease of the beetS,
whatever it may be, will prevent the
beetS from yielding the usual amount
of sugar or will impede the operation
of extraction. Last year there were
troubles with the beetS which were
rather serious, but they were of
different kind: then the juice contained
elements which caused it to assume a
gelatinOus condition and interfered
with the success of the diffusion pro-
cess.
John L. Howard, who is the presi-
dent of the Alvarado company, as we'll
as of the Union Sugar Company, which
has it's large new plant at Betteravia,
in the Santa Maria valley, Santa Bar
bara county, has undertaken to ascer
tain the character and probable effects
of the new disease He has engaged
Professor Rising of the State Univer-
sity, Professor Eisen, who is a noted
microscopic, and Professor Hardness
of the Academy of Scientists to make
analyses of the beets and discover, if
possible what the trouble is. When
the beetS which have been affected are
cross-sectioned the rings, appear to be
full of small dark spots. This is OBJ
served in some of the beet ground at
PleaSanton, and they will be among
the first tested by the scientific gentle
men referred to.
The AlvaradO Sugar Factory Will
probably begin it's years run a week
from next Monday. The probable crop
of beets is 10000 tons, which will not
be sufficient to Justify running the
whole factory; probably only one-half
of the machinery will be run this year.
All the other beet factories in the State
will be more or less short of beets dur
ing the present year.