The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-03

Farmers in Minnesota will this year
raise nearly $4,000 tons of sugar beets'
receiving for them over one-th1rd or a
million dollars and distributing to Ia
Dor 100000 for work on their sugar
beet fields. Sixteen million tons Of sug-
or will thus be raised in Minnesota.
This Is not a very f1attering show
ing, it is true, but it is interesting as
showing what the beet sugar industry
Of Minnesota is possible of becoming.
The raising of sugar beets this year
IS confined to about dozen counties,
and less than 5000 acres of land are be-
Ing used for the cultivation of sugar
beets. Even at that, Minnesota ranks
seventh among states IN beet sugar
production, being ahead of such states
as Wisconsin, Ohio, Washington and
Oregon. But Michigan will this year
raise twenty-five times as many
sugar beets as Minnesota, while the ex-
perts say Minnesota is q better state
for the sugar beet cultivation. For the
past ten years the sugar beet indus
try in Minnesota has been agitated to
great extent, and it must be admitted
that the present prospect is not what it
ton Of an immediate awakening, and
conservative men prophecy the time
when Minnesota's sugar beet industry
will be worth more to the state than
Its dairy industry.
Prof. Thomas Shaw, the most dis
tinguished agricultural expert in the
country, and a man who is always con-
servattve, declares that it cannot for
one moment be doubted that Mime
sofa could grow more beets than would
suffice to make sugar for all the Unit
ed States and this without in the
least hindering any other line of agri-
culture in the state This statement
is an amazing one, and simply points
out the fact that Minnesota has not
vet commenced to develop its natural
advantages.
Minnesota Is Favored.
Prof. Shaw says the soil of the Mis-
sissippi basin should grow beets
enough to supply the world with sugar,
and make the region the Ell Dorado of
the West. President Oxnard has said
that Minnesota offered more natural
advantages for sugar beet culture than
any of the Northwestern states. These
statements put together should guar
antee speedy development of an in
dustry that would within ten years
become the greatest source of revenue
that the state has.
Minnesota should take the lead in
beet sugar manufacture, for Minneso-
ia men have been prominently identi-
fed with the agitation of the subject.
Senator Washburn while in congress
was constant champion of the idea,
and the first government examination
into the question of sugar beets in this
country was made under the direction
of Commissioner of Agriculture Will
liam G. DeLuc, of this state.
The state experiment station at ST.
Anthony park has done much to en-
courage the industry in this state by
conducting many experiments. The
school has given special training in
this subject and has sent forth young
farmers who have had a practical
training in sugar beet culture. For
the past ten years the experiment farm
has conducted this work. In 1890 the
farm imported sugar beet seeds and
distributed them in Chisago, Crow
3 Wing, Dakota, Goodhue, Kandiyohi,
4 kittson, Lac qui Parle and Meeker
counties, and in 1892 in Anoka, Carl
ton, Hennepin, Clay, Stevens and Hub
bard counties. During a period of
eight years the station carried on ex-
tensive experiments to show the adap-
liability Of Minnesota soils for this
sugar beet culture. 1912 samples sent
in by farmers, averaged 14.4 in sugar,
and S0.54 in purity. The standard re-
Quirements of sugar beets is II per
cent and 80 per cent purity.
Experiments Encouraging.
In 1892 Max willges, a German ex-
pert from Nebraska, experimental ex-
tensively in Anoka county and two car
loads Of beets were sent to the big
factory in Nebraska and were found
to be exceptionally good.
F,XDerinents have shown that
100 pounds Of sugar beets contain
90 pounds Of beet Juice, and 100 pounds
Of beet juice contains about Is pounds
of solids, Of which an average of 12
pounds Is sugar.
The average yield Of peers per acre
in this state is 10, although as high
as 19 has been secured. A ton of
sugar beets will yield from 157 to 22O
pounds Of sugar.
The per capita consumption of
sugar in this state is 81 pounds, and
the per capita cost $2.44.
One hundred and ten million pounds
of sugar are required yearly in this
state, at a cost Of nearly five million
dollars. The ultimate hope of the beet
sugar people is to produce all this
sugar right in Minnesota and divide
this five million dollars among the
farmers of the state, and the laborers
needed to carry on this industry.
Money for Everybody.
To Go this ten factories would be
required, and to install these ten fac
tories would mean the payment to
labor Of five million dollars. After the
factories were installed immense year
~ expenditures for fuel, for beets, for
labor, would distribute immense
amounts of money into the various
channels of trade.
It costs s23o,000 to produce four mil
lion pounds Of sugar at the factory.
The cost Of raising sugar beets var
ies from 1925 on weedy land to about
81 on clean land. 4 number Of ex-
periments carried on at the state farm
show that the average cost Of an acre
Of sugar beets is as follows:
Cost in hours of labor-Four hours
to plant; 124 hours to weed and hoe;
eleven hours to cultivate, and so hours
to harvest.
Cost Of labor-Plowing, $1.25; har-
49,