Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-10-12
NEW MEXIC0'S
OPPORTUNITY
A Million Dollar Beet Sugar Factory
Within the Reach of This
Section.
AN ENCOURAGING LETTER
Industrial Commissioner ]. A. Davis Tells
of the Chance Within the Grasp of
Santa Fe People- The Example
Of Rocky Ford.

Industrial Commissioner James A.
Davis, of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe railway system, has written the New
Mexican a letter in which he intimates
that New Mexico might have had the
large beet sugar factory erected at
Rocky Ford Colo, and that if the peo-
pie of Santa Fe and surroundings go
about it the right way they still have a
chance of securing a sugar factory. He
says:
The factory referred to is located at
Rocky Ford, and is being built by the
American Beet Sugar Company, other
wise known as the OXnards, and will
cost when completed 81, 800, 900. The To-
cation of the factory was brought about
entirely through my personal efforts
and those of my assistants, being ac-
complished after long series of eXper-
iments by the public-spirited citizens of
the Arkansas valley, assisted by this
company. The Santa Fe is not finan-
cially interested to any extent except
that entailed by the increased facilities
which will be installed at Rocky Ford,
made necessary by the magnitude Of
the plant.
A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.
lone reason for referring to this is to
bring out the fact that the opportunity
to secure this plant was first given to
New Mexico, but owing to the fact that
1,A hapn ma q
citizens except in isolated spots, it was
impossible to determine how great an
area could be planted to sugar beets,
and whether a sufficient acreage in
beets under contract could be secured
to justify the erection of so large
plant This factory has at present 5000
acres of beets under contract, repre-
senting about 1,200 farmers. 1t is possi-
BILE next year that the same number of
farmers will be able to produce, if not
double that amount, at least 50 per cent
ever that produced this year.
THE BENEFITS
THE benefits are so many and so
great accruing from the establishment
of this industry in any section that it
would seem to me that every citizen of
New Mexico, from the fact that the
conditions are almost analogous to
those in the Arkansas valley, would in
terest himself in seeing that expert
ments are carefully carried on next
year to determine the possibilities as to
acreage, tonnage. saccharine contents
and purity, as we'll as area. Up to date
the statement is conservative that the
Rocky Ford plant will have the largest
tonnage of rich beets Of any plant in
the United States, not excepting the
more favorably situated plants in Cali
fornia."
SANTA FE'S CHANCE.
1t will be remembered that last year
Mortz Weinrich, a beet sugar expert
representing the Oxnard interests, was
in Santa Fe looking up data with
view of having his company build
factory in this city. He was much
pleased with the quality of beets and
the land that could be used for beet
culture hereabouts. but no guarantee
could be given him as to the acreage
that would be put in beets If a factory
were built here. There is no doubt,
however, that 10000 acres in the vicin-
ity of Santa Fe and in the Rio Grande
valley, near enough to allow the haul
ing in of the beets by team, are avail
able for that purpose. Up in San Juan
county 10,o 900 acres could be also easily
secured for the same purpose for an
other factory, and on the upper Rio
Grande would be chance for another
10000 acres in beets. ColfaX county, too,
could furnish sufficient acreage for a
plant at Springer.
A HOME INDUSTRY.
The advantage of Il beet sugar fac
tory is that it is an entirely home in
dustry, which, like the one at Rocky
Ford, gives employment not only to the
factory hands, but also to 1,2O0 farmers,
or sufficient employment for commu-
nifty of 10000 people. Such plant es-
tablished at Santa Fe would be the
making of the capital city and its sur
roundings, for that one industry would
attract other industries. An organiza-
ton such as board of trade or a COM
mercial club should therefore be organ
lied to investigate this chance, to Sc
cure data for the information of the
capitalists who are endeavoring to up
build the beet sugar industry in the
United States. 1t has been demonstrat-
ed that better sugar beets can be raised
in northern New Mexico, and especially
around Santa Fe. than anywhere else
in the world. Other raw material, such
as limestone, good water, etc, needed in
the manufacture of sugar are abun-
dant here, and there seems to be no
doubt but that factory like that at
Rocky Ford can be secured for this
city. Labor is cheaper here than in COL
orado, which in the spring imported
New Mexico labor to build the very SUI
gar factory spoken of in this article. In
fact Santa Fe offers every opportunity
| to the Oxnards for the establishment Of
a successful beet sugar plant, and the
| business men and property owners
should get together and demonstrate
that fact to the capitalists who built
the factory at Rocky Ford.