The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-11-30

Guilty, and for that reason the oneration
OF carbonation and filtration are much
slower than they should be.
Finest Beets on Earth.
In conversation with Superintendent
oil Agriculture Ram it was learned that
| durlDg this year the beets worked IN
came from 1900 acres of land. and that
the yield OF an average of 4 tons an
acre, was in bis opinion not more than
third of crop. Mr.. Ram said:
The PalCuse country, and particu-
larly that portion OF Union fat living
south and west OF Pullman, is The best
sugar beet land in the world In sugar
beet countries it is expected that bpets
VIII average from II to 1876 per cent
richness and 80 per cent purity. The
Quo or 530O tons of sugar bepts that
the factory has worked up this wear
have averaged over IS per cent sugar
richness, and have closely approached
30 per cent purity. In making contracts
with the farmers, the scale was fixed
this year at 81 a ton for beets Of II per
cent sugar value, with an addition of %
cents for each added per cent of sugar
value. The farmers have been given an
average price OF S. so per ton, and
many OF those who raised beets for the
factory made very good thing of it
one farmer reporting that he had made
profit of $27 an acre on q 3O-acre
patch, while several state that beet
growing bad proven profitable. In nv
opinion beet culture will pay as we'll as
any branch Of farming that can be pur-
sued in this country This land will
produce from ten to fifteen tons OF heets
an acre, under proper cultivation The
cultivation OF an acre Of beets, | know
from long experience, does not cost
more than $50, and this includes every
thug that can possibly be charged
against the land, including the harvest
ing OF the beets, and it's loading on the
cars. That is the cost for a ten ton
crop. Ii the crop is fifteen tons, perhaps
the cost may reach $35 Even if the
beets are not richer in sugar than II
per cent, the return would be from $40
to $50 an acre, while if the beets were as
rich IN sugar, as the crop of this year,
the return would be from S55 to $50 50
an acre. | can see no reason why the
beets OF the future seasons should not be
as rich as those of this year Many of
the patches OF heets sold to the factory
during the present season. were OF even
higher sugar value than IS per cent, one
lot reaching over % per cent, while
there were many that were greater than
20 per cent. have made contracts with
farmers who will raise beets on $500
acres OF land during the coming season,
and have hopes of getting at least 20
900 tons OF beets to be ground up into
sugar.
THE sugar output of the factory is
being handled by the wholesale grOcprs
OF Spokane, who are loud in their praise
OF our product. The company figures
that even when the mill is pushed TO it's
fuli capacity the people OF the inland
empire will consume the full product of
the plant. Perhaps it may be Of interest
to show what this plant will pay out to
the farmers during future years. A full
campaign is accounted from 40 to 100
days. Assuming that the latter figure
Is the right one, and that we pay as we
dld this year, an average price of So 80
a ton for the beete, we will then paw out
to the farmers for IL, 900 tons of beets,
S23l 900. Then the factory will have
to pay the railroad company at least 81
a ton, or $42 900. 1t will take at least
$50 men to run the factory during the
campaign, whose pay will average 50 so
a day, or $40, 900 in all. Then for re-
pairs, general supervision, superintend-
ence, etc, add $4,000 or a yearly total
of S36S, 00O'