The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-11-16

British Opinion Of American Beets
The growing belief that the United
States will shortly be able to produce
from beets the s100,00O,O00 worth of.
| sugar which her people now annually
import seems to be shared by British
Consul Wyndham, who has given the
subject close attention and reported
upon it to his government The follow
| Ing is an extract from his report
which has just reached the Treasury
Bureau of Statistics:
The production Of beet sugar iii
the United States is rapidly increasing.
and IN the Chicago Consular district
there are four factories in the State
OF Illinois, three in Nebraska, and
three in Colorado; those in Nebraska
and Colorado belong to the American
Beet and Sugar Company, and are at
Grand Junction, Rocky Ford and Sugar
City, and when completed will en-
ploy thousands of hands. Statistics
indicate that the United States con
sumes more sugar than any other Ma
tlon or approximately one-quarter OF
the whole of the worlds product. The
conditions Of soil, climate, and other
advantages are quite as good in the
united States, and especially in Col
orado, Nebraska, and Illinois for the
development of the beet as in any OF
the countries of Europe or Asia. The
worlds production and consumption Of
sugar is now about 8,250,000 tons per
annum, two-thirds of which is pro-
duced from beet and only one-third
from cane, whilst the normal consump-
ton is estimated as increasing at the
rate of 100000 tons yearly
The success offending the culti-
walton Of sugar beet in this district
has proved that it may be made a
profitable and successful investment.
A large factory has been built at Rocky
FORD, Colorado, which cost 100000 to
oulld and equip. 1t is proposed to have
1t ready for the crop of the coming sea-
son. TO supply it the farmers in the
vicinity have contracted to grow 5000
acres Of beets a year for five years.
from tests made, they estimate their
beets will yield Is to Is per cent Of
sugar. The factory, when running at
It's full capacity, will consume daily
l,OOO tons of beets, which it will con-
vert into about 100 tons Of refined
sugar of the highest purity. The beets
reach maturity with a high percent
age, and seldom go below Is per cent;
II per cent is taken as the basis Of
buying beets at the factory.
A general estimate of the cost Of
construction, cost of operation and
general results to be c1unted upon, OF
beet sugar factories in this district as
taken from the Rocky Ford plant
places the general average of sugar in
the beets at II per cent. So far as
the Arkansas Valley in Colorado is
concerned, this percentage is being
largely exceeded. the minimum per
centage Of sugar being about II per
cent, while the maximum has reached
% per cent, with a co-eficient Of pur-
ity ranging from 80 to 80 per cent.
In stating these results, reference is
especially made to the factory at
Rocky Ford, built and worked by the
American Beet Sugar Company, a New
York corporation, which works two
factories in California and three in Ne
braska, the one at Rocky Ford being
their fifth. The experts in charge of
this last factory all express surprise
at the results of this first campaign,
and they have become thoroughly Goa
vinced that this valley (Arkansas VAL
ley, Col.,) is the ideal sugar-produc
er, thanks to its equable climate,
ample supply of water for irrigation,
cheap fuel and limestone, and an un-
limited extent of available land for
beet culture. 1t is expected that the
same company will erect one or more
factories in addition to the one at
Rocky Ford, one to build further cas-
and the other west of Rocky Ford.
"As an example of the quality Of
the sugar beets produced upon this
land, it may be mentioned that so far
six carloads of beets from one field
have been tested 18th results as fol-
lows: One carload, 1853 per cent;
three carloads, 1873 per cent; and
two carloads, 20.4 pei cent"
Bogus Colorado Beetles.
This insect (Doryphora juncta) is
often mistaken for the genuine Colo
RADIO beetle; but it feeds on plants of