The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-15
RAILROAD NEWS.
Sugar Beet Mills to Be Estah-
Iished in Kansas.
Santa Fe Taking Kansas Farm
ers to Colorado Free.
SHOW HOW IT'S DONE.
Educating Kansans in Science
of Beet Culture.
One of the Mills May Be Located
SHOW HOW IT'S DONE.
One of the Mills May Be Located
at Topeka.

A well known Santa Fe official said
today: 1T can be stated definitely that
the Arkansas Valley Sugar Beet com
pany has decided to build several sugar
mills in the state of Kansas. The mills
will be erected just as soon as the farm
ers are ready to supply the beets. E"
For the purpose of inducing Kansas
farmers to raise. sugar beets the Santa
Fe has invited representative farmers
from a number CT different localities in
the state to take free trip to Rocky
Ford, Colo. and see for themselves just
what the farmers are doing in the sugar
beet line.
Within a short time a number of
these excursions will be run to Colo
rado Several farmer: will go from the
neighboThood of Topeka, and several
will be picked uD at various points
along the KaW valley. There will also
be representatives from Wichita, New
ton, Great Bend, Hutchinson, McPher-
son and other localities.
The officers of the sugar beet COM
pany" continued the Santa Fe official
have satisfied themselves that sugar
beets can be raised in Kansas just as
well and more cheaply than in Colorado.
All along the Kansas river valley is an
IDEAL sugar beet country All that Kan
sas needs to do to secure the location
of factories is to raise the beets.
ct is probable that the first factories
will be located at Wichita and Topeka
Wichita being a central point in the
<AIkdUSdS valley, ana Topeka IN the
Kansas river bottoms
The experiments which have been
conducted in the vicinity of Wichita
during the past summer are not yet
completed 1 understand that the beets
have been harvested, and are on their
way to the factory to be tested for their
saccharine properties. But there is no
question in the minds of those who are
familiar with the experiment as to the
outcome. The beets will show a good
per cent of sugar. The yield is all
right, when the beets are properly
planted.
The company has decided that the
only way to make the project succeed
is to take some of the representative
farmers from the localities where beets
can be grown, and show them just what
there is in the scheme. We want the
Kansas farmers to talk to the Colorado
sugar beet farmers, and become con-
WINGED that the business is all right I
might talk to a Kansas farmer all day
and not convince him that he could af-
ford to risk a crop of sugar beets, but
if one of his neighbors, a farmer like
himself, does the talking, ne will be-
lieve what he is being told. So we are
beginning right, at the bottom, and
educating the farmers.
Meantime, we viii carry on our cam
paign through the ordinary means of
advertising, and we expect within few
years to have the sugar beet business
firmly established in Kansas"
To explain the Santa Fe's interest in
the development of the sugar beet in
dustry it only needs to be stated that
the Santa Fe like other railroads,
strives TO build up all industries which
tend to induce immigration. settlement
and shipping of freight The Santa F'e
wants to establish the sugar beet in
dustry in Kansas because it will bring
people to the state, and subsequently
provide regular source of reVenuS
when the beets are shipped to the sugar
mills.