The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-04-29
WILL RAISE
SUGAR BEET
Chamber of Commerce Hires
Expert TO Instruct Farmers
ON CULTIVATION OF CROP
Sugar Factory Is Planning TO
Locate Here.

The directorate Of the Chamber OF Com
merce yesterday afternoon decided 10
engage the services of an expert in the
! cultivation of sugar beets to spend two
months in Wichita this season and sup
/ erintend the cultivation of an expert
mental crop of the plant
This is the first step in an effort to Sc
cure factory of the American Beet
Sugar company for Wichita If it is dem
onstrated that sugar beets can be sue
cessfully grown here. the company will
establish a factory in Wichita
The expert viii be furnished by the
sugar company and it is necessary that
+ he be notified by Wednesday night that
! his services are wanted by Wichita He
/ VIII De notified imediately.
For his services he will receive S65
! month and expenses making the total
about $50 a month. The finance COM
tee of the Chamber Of Commerce will Sc
cure the funds necessary to meet this
expense.
In order to have the cultivation of
sugar beet in this vicinity thoroughly
tested. the Chamber of Commerce will
distribute seed among about forty scien-
tific gardeners and farmers The farmers
VIII receive complete instructions as to
how TO plant the crop. They VIII be
asked 10 plant patch one rod wide by
two rods long. Three seeds are to be
placed In a hill. The hills are to be ten
inches apart and the rows eighteen
| inches apart. AS the season for the.
planting Of beets is somewhat advanced
the seeds viii be soaked in water for
twenty-four hours, which will give them
the advantage of a weeks growth.
II the meeting yesterday afternoon the
committee composed of j. II. Stewart NJ
\. Mcclellan and Cash Henderson
which was sent to Rocky Ford, Colo. to
Investigate the sugar factory and the
cultivation of beets made its report
Chairman Stewart said:
The factory which the company built
at Rocky Ford cost 500, 900. 1t IS ex-
pected to run about six months a year
and when running employs 400 men. The
year round it employs about forty peo-
pie. It makes 240 tons of sugar day
and has contracted for 1902 20 use 100000
tons of beets. In 1901 it used 10000 tons,
and in 1900, $4,000 tons In 1901 it paid the
Santa Fe railroad for freight $4,000. In
addition to this the refuse beet pulp is
used 10 feed 5,240 head Of cattle. the
care of which requires the labor of
twelve men"
Mr.. Stewart gave the following statis-
tics of Rocky Ford TO demonstrate how
the cultivation of sugar beet benefited
the farmer:
Maximum tons per acre, A. minimum
tons per acre, IS; average crop on old
land. 10 tons; average crop on new landgl
% tons; average cost per acre. to srat5esi
cror, $50
At ffteentons per acre at 81 the average
crop viii bring $50, leaving a profit of /
$50 an acre.
Mr. Stewart stated that the company
guaranteed to pay 81 ton for beets
containing fourteen per cent sugar and !
thirty three and one-third cents for /
each one per cent additional per ton. 1t
VIII contract for beets for five years
Mr.. Stewart stated that the committee /
not only talked with the representative /
formers. bankers. and real estate men of /
tho community and that all testified to /
the value Of the industry One man said |
tic value of land had increased at least /
100 per cent.
The sugar company has stated that it /
would start a factory here if at least /
500 acres are sown in beets and it is /
demonstrated that the beets can be
proftaby grown here. As the principal (
element in the growth of beets Is sun
shine. according to the statements of the
cOmpanys officials, and as there would /
not he the necessity for irrigation in the
vicinity of Wichita that there is IN Colo
rad0, the members OF the committee are
confident that the beets can be grown
here.
In order to demonstrate to the company
that Wichita is in earnest on the propo-
sition and in order that more people in
this city might become acquainted with
the facts concerning the factory the
Chamber of Commerce selected COM
mitteo composed of NJ. NJ Murdoch H.
J. Hagny. Charles Davidson, G G. Cohn |
and 3. F. Mclean, to go to Rockg Ford
next week.
After August Is. the beets which are
raised near Wichita for experiment viii
he sent 10 Rocky Ford for inspection
If the sugar passes the test a commit
tee of farmers viii be sent 10 Rocky Ford
20 learn from the representatives Of the
just what IL desires them to do.
II is not the intention Of the Chamber
Of Commerce To interest merely the far
rners in the vicinity Of Wichita in the
cultivation Of sugar beets, but also the
farmers along the Arkansas river
about fifty miles in each direction.
Cash Henderson. who was on the com
mittee. stated TO the directorate Of the
Chamber Of Comerce that the sugar fac
tory would he worth as much to Wichita
IS three packing houses