The Elbert County tribune., 1902-12-04
MILLIONS IN BEET SUGAR.
Colorado Factories New In Full Operation and
Turning Out Thsusasds Of Pounds
Of the Sweet Article.

Colofo4o FACTORIES rev IN fuiI Opefotion auo
Turning Out Thsusssds Of Poun1s
Of the Sweet Article.
The beet sugar proposition in Colora-
do is overwhelming. No one realizes just
how big it has grown, and few even
imagine how huge it is going to be in
the next ton years. 1t is not at all i'm
probable that with the irrigation pro-
jects under way, under the aid OF the
United States government, enough land
will be given over to the cultivation OF
the sugar beet to half supply the United
States.
That such proposition is immense is
unquestionable But Colorado has the
land, and il the irrigation projects de-
velop as they are expected 10 in the
next ten years, there will be plenty Of
water, too. Colorado has water enough
for almost anything, but the trouble is
that it has not the water when it needs
it. II the spring rains can be restrained
for use when they are needed, thousands
of acres can be utilized. And good
deal of this will undoubtedly be used
for the cultivation OF the sugar beet.
Factories are springing up all over the
state. They are in the east and the
west and The north and the south; from
Loveland and Fort Collins on the north,
10 Alamosa and Rocky Ford on the
south; aud as far as Grand Junction on
the west. There is no state that grows
a H.,
the new soils Of Colorado; there is q
greater percentage Of sugar in the beets
and that means more money for the
crop.
One Of the largest factories in this
state is situated in thriving Rocky Ford
the same town that sends out water.
melons and cantaloupes that are world.
famous This big plant covers several
acres Of ground, and employs four hun.
dred men, two hundred for each twelve
hour shift. The plant runs about five
months of the year. beginning the first
Of October and running until March
1t uses up about Thousand tons Of
sugar beets a day, and turns out about
100000 pounds of sugar every twenty.
four hours. The plant up to this time
has turned out nearly 100000 pounds
Of sugar, and expects to produce nearly
25,O00,O00 pounds before the season is
ended. At four cents a pound, this
would mean q product valued at d ,000,-
900. 1t will be seen from these figures
that this is an enormous plant and that
it is Of vast Importance to Colorado
Moreover, when it is remembered that
Rocky Ford has only one OF the plants
Of the state, then we have some concep-
tion OF what the sugar beet industry has
grown to be.
Another Of the large factories Of the
state is located at Lovelaud, and in
which Mr. ]. r. McKinnie, Of Colorado
Springs, is largely interested. This i,
now also running in fine shape, and il
turning out = huge product of sugal
every twenty-four hours. All the fac
tories except that at Grand Junction are
busily engaged, and conservative esti
mate places the amount Of their daily
output at 10000 pounds Of sugar. Thi,
is 100000 pounds month, or ovei
100000 pounds for five months, dur
ing which they are in operation. II thil
amount Of sugar were all in one ware
house in bags, it would look as though
Colorado had manufactured enough
sugar to supply the universe for years t.
come. But as a matter Of fact, it is only
drop in the bucket. The amount o.
sugar used every year is enormous. Il
is steady usage all the time, day in and
day out, not only for domestic but fol
manufacturing purposes.
The beets are supplied by the farmer
in the vicinity, and some are shipped IL
by rail. Most of them come, however
in four-korse wagons. On either side o
the driveway are wide sluice boxes. II
the bottom of each OF the wagons is 1
net. One edge of this net is grabbed b,
hook from above and practically tn,
whole load is dumped at once into tn,
sluices. In the case of freight cars, the,
are SO arranged that they open on tn,
edges, delivering their freight into tn,
sluice boxes very rapidly.
In the bottom OF the troughs or sluic,
boxes n stream Of water is running al
the time, and that moves the beets alon,
and washes them as they 90 toward
the factory. By the time they arrive q