The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-10-30
GROWTH OF BEET PRODUCTION
IF ENCOURAGED WILL SOON sup
PLY THE HOME
MARKET.
Tells About the Cost of Production
In neutrality-suspicious. of 6eets
viii Soon Be An important Factor
In Their Growth.
From a Staf Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Oct 1.-THE op
erations OF the sugar trust in cutting
the price of sugar out West. where
beets are grown. are likely to con
vince the American people that the
beet industry is not controlled by the
trust" said Secretary Of Agriculture
Wilson today. The growth of th'
sugar beet industry has alarmed tbs
trust, which consists of interests thai
refine imported raw sugar. The sugar
beet factories do their own refining
finishing the product and putting i
on the market. This department has
been we'll satisfied for some time thai
| il is only a question of time when al
the sugar used in America can be
made within the States of the Union
ITO what extend the sugar trust Is
disposed to spend money in fighting
| the development of the sugar beet
| industry | do not know. l am not at
all surprised at the movement of the
sugar trust. It would no doubt be
very profitable to its members If they
could destroy this new industry. that
promises to supply home demands
within a reasonable number OF years,
but | think their efforts will be in
vain. Our people are gradually learn
ing the value of the by-products of the
sugar beet factories. and as soon as
they fully comprehend this, opposi-
ton from any quarter will be entirely
in vain.
81 believe also the time viii come
when none of the islands of the sea
will be able to produce sugar as
cheaply as it can be produced in con-
nection with diversified agriculture in
the prairie States of the Northwest.
Il had an interview within the last
few days with superintendent of one
of the largest sugar estates in the
Hawaiian Islands," continued Seere-
tary Wilson. which confirms the i'm
preston had regarding the future
of the sugar industry in tropical coun-
tries II costs more for labor in the
Hawaiian Islands than in the States
of the Mississippi Valley. and this
superintendent is my authority for the
statement that it costs S26 an acre to
fertilize the lands of the Hawaiian
Islands. They put on half ton of
fertilizer every year. and get two crops
in three years, averaging six tons to
the acre.
1.-The use of this fertilizer is exceed
ingly expensive. They have to send
to South America for the nitrogen. to
Germany for the potash. and to the
Florida cost for the PHOSPHORUS.
They have been increasing the area
of sugar production in Hawaii by
pumping water on lands where it will
not flow by gravity. They have to
send for coal to Australia or British
Columbia. All this makes sugar grow
ing more and more difficult. but the
labor question out there is what gives
them the most annoyance The Porto
Ricans who were imported are so
much reduced by starvation that they
cannot perform much manual labor.
Hawaii viii have difficulty in compel
ing with the sugar beet resources of
the Northern States of the Union as
soon as our farmers have had time TO
apply machinery to the field and the
factory.
1T viii not be necessary in the
United States where sugar beets are
grown to fertilize the lands. Under a
system of rotation. which can be prac-
ticed profitably. the lands OF the Mis-
sissippi Valley can produce a crop OF
beets once in four or five years with
out detriment to the soil. It is only
a question of time when the dairy
men of the United States viii discover
that the bv-products of the sugar mill
Is valuable for all domestic animals
In foreign countries II is even fed to
horses. II viii take the place with the
Western dairymen of bran from the
wheat mills and by-products from the
oil mills. glucose factories. etc. The
water viii be pressed out OF the pulp
very soon. and in fact il is being done
now in California. and the farmer win
haul home the cake when he takes
beets to the factory. The by-product
contains ali the elements OF nutrition
the domestic animal requires. Taking
the sugar from the beet really reduces
its feeding quality but little. because
the animal gets all the carbonaceous
matter Il requires in its fodder
About three years ago we had some
$4,000 tons Of beet sugar produced in
the United States. two years ago about
$1,000 tons. year ago about $1,000
tons, and this year we will have some
thing like 200.o The following table
shows an estimate OF sugar beet pro
ductioa IN 1901. made By experts who
have been watching the sugar beet de-
velo7ment- and il is particularly In
terestiRg.
Estimated beet sugar production for
f90l ffnuse--