Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-01-27
SUGAR BEETS.
Interesting Address. Fom Editor
Teele at Grants Hall.
GOOD SIZED CROWDS PRESENT.

Last Saturday night, pursuant to
call published by Mayor Marion, quite
a crowd of citizens assembled at the
Grant hall and listened to an interest
ing and instructive talk on the %cultiva-
ton of sugar beets from Editor Albert
l.. Teele, of the Denver Sugar Beet
Grower.
The gentleman was introduced by
the mayor, and, after a few words of
Introductory stated that New Mexico
could grow sugar beets with profits to
the growers, and that communities
like Albuquerque. surrounded on all
sides by the fertile Rio Grande valley.
should have a beet sugar factory by all
means.
Mr.. Teele says that no capitalists
will agree to establish a factory any
where unless the farmers of the com.
munity will first pledge themselves to
grow a given acreage of beets for at
least three years. A factory of aver
age capacity would demand hat about
5000 acres in the community be devot-
ed to the growth of sugar beets. An
acre will produce from fifteen to forty
tons of beets for which the factory
would pay about $3.50 per ton. The
Rocky Ford factory this year paid
"a 50 per ton. The method of proceed
ure would be to have a committee get
a number of farmers to agree as an ex-
The committee would furnish seed and
seeder and competent overseer, the
expense of these things to be deducted
from the sale of the growth. The
railroads would make a rate of 81 per
ton to Rocky Ford for this experiment
al years crop. When the farmers saw
what a rich profit there was in the
sugar beet industry they would be
willing to contract to grow the beets
in a sufficient quantity to justify the
establishment of a factory. This
would be a source of great wealth to
the locality and the territory. 1t is
an industry not subject to cheaper
ing competition, Notwithstanding the
efforts of capitalists to admit Cuban
ugar. Local sugar interests would
always prevent this, so Mr.. Teele
thought. The advantages to a commu-
nifty from a factory and beet indus
try are illustrated by the S%preckles
factory at Salvina, California, where
the farmers produced 271 1922 tons of
beets in a three months crop for
which they received 81, O,149. 1t
would require considerable alfalfa and
a great many cattle to equal this. The
factory made money, too. The profits
large and the dividends sure. Beet
sugar factories are stated to have
made &C per cent profit last year.
The manager of a Colorado factory
told Mr.. Teele he expected to realize
25 per zen profit and this Mr.. Teele
thought nearer the real profit. Under
favorable conditions he thought a
factory ought to declare such a divi-
dend. The failure of the factory at
Grand Junction. Colo, was due to the
failure of farmers to grow beets. The
farmers of that valley preferred to
grow fruit and neglected their beet
growing. This factory is about to ex
p~erience a revival by purchasing land
and d~evoting it to growing beets.
Colorado farmers realize about $75
per acre. So little labor is necessary
that this is practically all profit. Five
thousand acres of sugar beets in this
community would bring the growers
$4,000. Beside this the factory
would employ 1875 persons at salaries
of from $50 to $50 per month. The
coal and lime necessary would be dug
out of the hills about us. The fac.
tory's various expenditures would leave
a half million dollars in the commu-
nifty annually.
After his address, which was highly
interesting, he subjected himself to
the answering of a number of ques.
tons ~propounded by several of his
hearers, and his answer were quick
and ready, showing his great familiar
ity with the subject matter.
The gentleman stated that at Las
Vegas, where he addressed the mem
bers of the board of trade on the same
subject, a committee was appointed
as suggested in his address, and that
committee was empowered to get the
farmers of Las Vegas and the adjacent
valleys interested in the growing of
sugar beets. He fully recognized the
fertility of the Rio Grande valley, and
hopes that the farmers along the river,
where water is plentiful, may be in
duced to experiment with the growing
of sugar beets, he believing that they
will find it a profitable undertaking.
Mr. TaaIa Inft for nanUar on the linn
tied train Saturday night.