The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-24
PREsAGEs MUCH.

From the western part of the state
comes an announcement of much i'm
portance to every part of the common
wealth where the conditions are such
that agriculture enters into the scheme
Of industry. The experiments made
during the past few years with beet
raising in the Bitter Root valley have
been so successful that it is now in
tended to erect a beet sugar factory
in the valley and carry out the plans
partially matured by the late Marcus
Daily. 1t is we'll known that had he
been spared Mr.. DAILY would have
erected such a plant, having two years
ago given direction to plant a num-
Der of acres of his stock farm to
beets, with results that caused him
to make efforts to enlist the settlers
of the valley in the culture Of the veg
etable. With his death ensued sus-
pension of further operations, but
others have taken up the work where
he left off.
The owners of the beet sugar fac
tory located at Ogden, Utah, have a
representative at Hamilton at present
and he will remain during the sum
mer and make extensive investigation
of the prospects and also conduct ex-
periments along the line of those con
Quoted by Mr.. DAILY. In the fall he
will return to Utah and report, and
should his observations prove salts
factory, no doubt exists that the
parties employing him will take the
necessary steps to erect a factory.
Among the people conversant with
the conditions as they obtain in the
valley no fear is entertained of an ad-
verse report. Tests made in this oun
try and in Germany of the beets raised
by Mr.. DAILY demonstrated that they
carried sacherine substance amounting
all the way from II to II per cent.
About the same results have been OBJ
tanned from beets raised in the Gal
latin valley and those competent to
express an opinion are of the belief
that equally as good beets a be
raised in the other valleys of the
state where irrigation is possible.
All that apparently remains to be
done to make Montana capable of pro-
ducing all the sugar required for its
need is concerted effort on the part
of the residents of the agricultural
sections to demonstrate that beets
can be raised successfully in quanti-
ties sufficient to supply factories dur
ing the season when they are usually
operated. The profits to be made on
the manufactured article are liberal
and once started plenty of factories
will no doubt be built to take care
Of all the raw product that may be
produced. The amount of money an
nually sent out of the state for sugar
alone is estimated at about a million
dollars, With sugar made at hime,
this would be all kept in the state, be-
sides increase the value of agricultur-
al lands and give employment to many
persons all the year around.
The farmers of the Yellowstone val
ley can help the matter along by ex-
perimenting the same as those of the
Bitter Root have experimental. The
conditions there are no more favor
able for a yield of the vegetable than
they are here. The difference in eli
mate, soil, and other conditions es-
sential to success is not great enough
to act as a deterrent to the experiment.
If the venture is successful many
things conspire to make this locality
far more suitable for the erection of
a sugar factory than the valley OF
the Bitter Root.