The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-11-07

OoNcIiHS tHiS odiuc pcilOu VI 40 years
there has been an increase of POI per
cent in the production of cane sugar,
and an increase of 3, 1858 per cent in the
production of beet sugar.
Beets in 1910 supplied A. 80 per cent of
the total sugar product of the world, and
in 1901 over GA per cent, the greater
portion of which was produced in
Europe, in fact all of it, excepting 1884,
900 short tons furnished by the United
States.
The value of the beet sugar crop for
1901, at $50 per ton, was over five hun
dred million dollars, which amount
went mostly to swell the Golfers of
Europeans
From these figures we can readily see
the magnitude of the beet sugar indus
try in Europe, and the constant source
of wealth it is to her people.
BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED
STATES.
Until 1879 the history of the Ameri-
can beet sugar industry was record of
failures.
The first experiments in extracting
sugar from beets were made in Pennsyl-
vania in 1880, with no record of sugar
manufactured.
In 1889 David Lee Child conducted
small works at Northampton, Mass,
and made 1,300 pounds of sugar, but
ceased to manufacture on account of
cost.
Similar experiments were tried dur
ing the SOS and '7as in some of our
western states, resulting in failures
from one cause or another.
In 1888 Alameda County, California,
possessed the only sugar factory in OPP
GRAFTON in America It's capacity was
80 tons beets daily, and it's sugar output
for that year was 1,910 tons.
In 1890 after the passage of the Nc
Kinley bill, Nebraska built her first
factory, which was the second or third
one in this country.
In 1891 there were three factories in
California and two in Nebraska, FIVE in
all for the United States.
Ten years later or in 1901, there were
in operation 3S factories and three
raspng stations, distributed through
eleven States of the Union, having a
daily working capacity of 5000 tons of
beets, and representing an invested and
working capital of over thirty million
dollars. At the present time for the
campaign of 1923, there will be in op-
Grafton Al factories and three rasping
stations, combining a nominal daily
capacity of 80, 200 tons and representing
an investment of thirty.four million
dollars
These factories, providing they have
the beets, can, during full run of 100
days, slice more than three million tons
of beets, grown on 350,000 acres, and of
value to the farmer of sixteen million
dollars To harvest this crop will re-
quire at intervals, 100, 900 farmers with
helpers, this estimate from Michigan re-
suits
With an approximate yield of one ton
Of sugar from an acre of beets, these Al
factories now operating in this country
can produce under favorable results,
100000 short tons of sugar, or about
oneseventh of our present consumption,
having a market value of thirty one
million dollars. With an actual labor
cost or farmers payroll of $50 per acre,
the work on $50, 900 acres will amount
to over twelve million dollars. This
amount will furnish go days employ
ment to 100000 farmers at 1925 per day,
or one days employment to 9,SO0,0OO
men.
With an actual labor cost of $13 for
every ton of sugar produced, the fac
tories will pay out in wages and salaries
for 350,000 tons sugar manuf factured
four and one-half million dollars.
This amount expended furnishes en-
ployment to nearly 1900 workmen and
skilled operatives for 1870 days at 81 per
day, or one days work to 2,275. 900 men,
at 80 per day.