Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-24
BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY
Production In This Country In.
creasins at a Gratifying
Rate.
America May Soon Produce
an Amount Equal to Home
Demands.
Report Of British Consul at Chi.
cago Has Figures Of
Interest.

Interest.
Washington, Aug. 24-The growing
belief that the United States will short
ly be able to produce from beets the
$100,0O0,000 worth of sugar which her
people now annually import seems to be
shared by British Consul Wyndham,
who has given the subject close ltten- |
ton and reported upon 1T to his govern
ment. The following Is an extract from
his report, which has just reached the
treasury bureau os statistics:
The production of beet sugar in 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 Sugar company
and are at Grand Junction, Rocky Ford
and Sugar City, and when fully COM
pleted will employ thousands of hands.
Statistics indicate that the United
States consumes more sugar than any
other nation, or approximately one
quarter of the whole worlds product.
The conditions of soil.climate. and other
advantages are quite as good in the
United States and especially in Colo
RADIO, 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 S,250,000 tons per
annum, two-thlrds of which is produced
from beet and only one-third from cane,
whilst the normal consumption is es-
timated as increasing at the rate of
100000 tons yearly.
The success attending the cultivation
of sugar beet in this district has proved
that it may be made profitable and
successful investment. A large factory
has been built at Rocky Ford, Colo,
which cost 100000 to build and equip.
1t is proposed to have 1t ready for the
crop of the coming season. To supply
it the farmers in the vicinity have con-
tracted to grow 5000 acres of beets
year for five years. From tests made,
they estimate their beets will yield 10
to Is per cent of sugar The factory,
when running at its full capacity, will
consume daily 1000 tons of beets, which
it will convert into about 100 tons of re-
fined sugar of the highest purity. The
beets reach maturity with a high per-
centage, and seldom go below is per
cent Twelve per cent Is taken as the
basis of buying beets at the factory.
The beets are grown by the farmers
under contract with the factory, and
paid for according to the sacchrine con-
tents determined by chemical tests
made of samples taken from the wagons
at the time of delivery. In addition.
! the factory controls about o,o0o acres
of land. Most of the land will be farmed
| by tenants, but only a portion of each
| farm is devoted to ibeets each year.
Growers sell their beets based upon the
/ sugar contents. The tests somewhat
resemble the assaying of ore from the
! mines. Selling upon this basis en-
courages better farming and the rails
ing of better beets 1t is the only fair
4 way, both to the raiser ana manufac-
| turer.
LAT Sugar City, farm of 1900 acres
\ has been cultivated for raising sugar
beets. and a sugar factory has been
| built with capacity of 500 tons every
/ twenty-four hours. On the farm 1000
men and women have been employed
during the summer and this seasons
crop will be converted into sugar. The
establishment Of the sugar factory at
this point built the town, which few
years ago consisted of hut or two and
thousands of prairie dogs. The output
will be Increased as rapidly as possible
A and every day the demand for workmen
i is increasing.
"a general estimate of the cost Of
construction, cost of operation, and gen.
erai results to be counted upon, of bee
sugar factories in this district as taker
from the Rocky Ford plant, places tn,
general average of sugar in the beet.
at IL per cent. So far as the Arkansa!
Valley in Colorado is concerned, this
: percentage Is being larseiJ exceeded
the minimum percentage of sugar bein,
, about IA per cent, While the maximum
!. has reached % per cent, with co-efii
cient of purity ranging from so to S
per cent. In stating these results, ref
erence Is especially made to the fac
tory at Rocky Ford, built and worke
: by the American Beet Sugar company,
!. New York corporation. which work
= two factories in California and three i
Nebraska the one at Rocky Ford bein
:. their fifth. The experts in charge @
this last factory all express surpris
at the results of this first campaign. an
they have become thoroughly convince
!. that this valley (Arkansas Valley, Colo
.. is the ideal sugar producer. thanks
X it's equable climate. ample supply {
a water for irrigation, cheap fuel an
. limestone. and an unlimited extent {
k available land for best culture. 1t is ea
70 pected that the same company will erec
[e one or more factories in addition to tn
l. one at Rocky Ford, oneto be built ful
,r Their east and the other west of Rock
re Ford.
"As an example OF the quality OF I'll
2. sugar beets produced upon this land,
<. may be mentioned that so far six cs
" loads of beets from one field have bee
ID tested with results as follows: One CT
C, load, is per cent; three carloads. is p'
ne cent, and two carloads. 20 per cent"
hit
e. Quartermaster Matthews Dead.
IN Atlantic City. N. j., Aug. 24.-Quarte
e. master Joseph Matthews, OF the Unite
lyI States cruiser Newark who was ma