The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-04
BEET SUGAR.


the United States is a matter of inter-
est to all cane sugar growing commun-
tiles, and is especially so to ourselves,
to whom sugar is the mainstay of
prosperity. The Census bureau has is
sued a report upon the beet cultivation
in the United States which is of great
Importance.
There are under beet cultivation i'm
the whole of the United States 135,S05
acres. OF this area California claims
63,S7S acres. Michigan 1904 acres and
all other states and territories 34,S9S
acres. The total cost of cultivation
was $3,4S5, 800.
The total capital invested is $40, $685.,
519. OF this California has $40, 139, 7S0,
Michigan $4O13, 743 and all other states
and territories $6SO4, 1896. There are
in all 81 establishments. In California
eight, in Michigan nine and fourteen
in all other states and territories. The
total value of the product was $685.
$751; of which California received 3d.
1896, Michigan $l,6O2,266, and all
others 81, POI 1886. The total wages paid
was 1,092, 207. Miscellaneous expenses
totalled $451, 1851, and the cost of mate
rails was $4,SO9,796 giving a total Of
rather over $6,0O0,00O to bring a return
of $7,000,000 or leaving a profit of say
1,0OO,0 900 which would be about five per
cent upon the investment.
These returns have been got up by
DIR. Spencer, a special expert on the
subject. OF the production he says
I'm 1899, as shown by the census sta
tistics in this report, the number of
factories operated was thirty, with an
output of 1888 short tons of sugar.
The total quantity of cane and beet
sugar of domestic manufacture, as re-
ported in Willett & Grays circular in
1899, was 229,5S7 short TONS showing
that the production of beet sugar was
then approximately rs per cent of the
total sugar produced in the country
from sugar cane and beets. The Am
erican beet sugar factories now have
a nominal daily capacity of 22.310 short
tons of beets, and, when fully supplied
with raw material, should easily man
ufacture 240, 900 short tons of sugar pei
annum."
The history of beet culture in the
United States is not uninteresting to us
The first experiments were made in
1880. There is no record of the guam
tity of sugar manufactured.
The history of the next experiments is
also brief. David Lee Child in 1888 3G
conducted small works at Northampton
Mass, and made 1900 pounds of sugar
then discontinued the manufacture.
There is no record of further at
tempts until 1868, and from that time
until 1876 number of failures occurred
in California, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
| The first factory in California was
erected in 1870 at Alvarado, the site OF
the first successful factory in the
United States.
These works were operated until 1873
when it was proposed to remove them
! to another location. A new company
was organized, which purchased the AL
varado machinery and removed it to
Sequel, Santa Cruz county. E. H. Dyer
a stakeholder of the Alvarado Company
purchased the buildings, and in the face
of many difficulties organized COM
pany and installed new machinery. At
ter a short time this company was re-
incorporated with larger capital, and
operated the works until 1889 with vary.
ing success. The operations were ham.
pered by imperfect and ANTICIPATED
machinery, and these conditions, com
bined with lower prices of sugar, com
PEELED another reorganization. In 1888!
the property passed into the hands o.
the Alameda Sugar Company under tn,
management of e. c. Burr, an expert
factory and has continued the manu-
facture with marked success.
In 1879 there were only four factories
!, in operation, two in California, one il
Maine and one in Delaware. The AL
varado factory is the beacon light o
beet sugar industry in the Unite,
States. But for it's success the industr,
: would have langnshed and died evel
now says DR.. Spencer, speaking of tn
results of the year 1900 GAS a Who'll
there was an apparent small prof
earned by the factories, in certain case
handsome dividends were paid, il
others there were heavy losses and i
many instances the factories little NOR
than paid expenses" At all events GU
own industry has a very much bette
tale to tell than this.
Pains franchise cinch bill had an