The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-10-07
PROGRESS Of SUGAR BEET
INDUSTRY IN UNITED STATES
W. N. ARMSTRONG.

pages hht'h hhl'N AAn VI lhlr ''hif
on "The Progress OF lhe Sugar Beet In
dustry in the United states
The citisens of this Territory ought
TO be FAMILIAR with it's contents. for In
IL there Is much valuable material
which bears on the future OF the lla-
waiian sugar industry. No Information
which concerns the one chief Industry
of these Islands should be ignored As
many Of our citizens will not be able TO
obtain copy Of this report. for the
edition is limited through the failure Of
Congress t. appropriate money for a
large edition. "A summary OF II ~ here
given.
While 1t may be said that Their Is
nothing in this report which should dis
courage the Hawaiian sugar industry,
there is much in it which shows that
the days of the sugar Bonanza are
over, and that, hereafter, the industry
will stand with wheat, corn, and rice
az staple crops which WILL on the aver
age, give the careful, Industrious, and
intelligent planter and those interested
with him, a fair and at times gener-
Gus support.
The report is an excellent illustration
of the extraordinary and admirable APP
plication of science to business. In
stead Of leaving the new and somewhat
intricate sugar beet industry to be
slowly worked out by thousands of in
experienced, unframed farmers ignor-
ant of the chemistry of agriculture,
without a comparative knowledge of
soils. unable to find the large literature
of Europe on the subject, the Agricul-
tural Department quickly placed in the
field force of competent men to
.l,,. I'm, L. . nA
subject in Europe and furnish it to
those who were willing to experiment
in the new industry, as well as to use
it in the State and National Expert
ment stations. The result is that many
years of laundering. and vast amount
of money invested in useless expert
ments, has been prevented, and though
the industry is only in its infancy in
this country, all the knowledge of the
world is before any person who asks for
it. The task which now remains is that
of acquiring a practical knowledge of
the business which will modify more
or less any general information.
The progress of the industry is such
that at the end of ten years from the
date of the general interest taken in it,
the production of beet sugar in the
State OF California exceeds the con-
sumption by 42,00O,000 pounds. The con-
sumption in any State is reached by
multiplying the average consumption
per head by the number of inhabitants.
~ In the group of three States,
Washington, Oregon and California, the
production is 143,947O 900 lbs. while the
consumption is 1O1 577, 500 lbs. (2)
Grouping the States of Utah, Idaho,
Nebraska, Nevada and Arizona, the
he ,,,hi1 ha
consumption is Al 294, 125 lbs. go Group
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New
Mexico, the production is 47,411 900 lbs.
while the consumption 73,2SS.Sl1 lbs. IN
Colorado, three years ago, every pound
Of sugar was imported while in the
present year the production was F,411.-
900 lbs, all that was produced in this
group OF three States and one Terri
tory, while the consumption of Colorado
was only 36,912,46O lbs. or 10,496, 40 lbs.
less than was produced. O Grouping
Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Indian
Territory, Texas and Louisiana, the
production Qncluding cane sugar. is
637 1888, 700 lbs. while the consumption is
62O.314,413 lbs.
The production in other eastern
States, Michigan Wisconsin, Ohio, and
New York is 126, 1854. O33 lbs. for the year
1901.
(5) The total production of beet sug-
ar in 1901 in all the country was $685.
1888 lbs, while the consumption of
both beet and cane sugar in California,
Washington. Oregon, Montana, Idaho.
Nevada, Utah. Wyoming, Arizona, Col
orado, New Mexico. Texas, Kansas,
Nebraska, North and South Dakota.
Arkansas. Louisiana and Iowa was
soc, 1876, 256 lbs. The beet sugar now
supplies 40 per cent of the consumption
in those States. 90 The total product
of beet and cane sugar is enough to
supply the four groups of States men
toned with surplus of 4l,OO0,OOO
pounds. "a The product of beet sug-
ar in Michigan is three-fourths the
amount OF the consumption, and the
additional factories now being erected
will make the product more than the
consumption. so The estimated prod
uct for the present year from the new
factories being now erected in Arizona,
Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin Is
1l4,00O,000 lbs 90 1t is, therefore, APP
parent that within a short time the
United States will produce beet sugar
equal to the consumption in the entire
area west of the Mississippi river. Q0)
Regarding the rapid increase OF pro-
duction in Michigan, and the construc-
ton of thirteen new factories during
the present year. it was not until re-
Gently discovered that a large area of
waste timber land is well adapted to
the growth of beets. The population
which was gradually being deprived of
its living by the decline of the timber
industry, will now resort to this new
industry with great activity. QD The
kumber OF factories finished and in
operation in the United States is forty
eight. The number of new factories
now in the course of construction or
organization is eighty-four. In Michi-
gan there are seventeen in operation
and twenty-eight more have been or
Fanized or are partly completed. Q9
Within twenty-one years the product
Of cane sugar has increased 1855 per