The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-26
IMPORTANT
INDUSTRY
Possibilities Of Sugar
Production.
WASHINGTON Han oAE EllT0Ri
Produced Over One Thousand Tons
Last Year-Openings For Hun
reds of Factories.

washington mas DuL one sinai
beet sugar factory. According to the
department of agriculture. the out
put Of this for 1902 was 1918 tons.
For commercial purposes a ton OF
sugar is reckoned at 2,240 pounds.
The sugar of Washington then ag-
gregated 3,386,S60 pounds. At the
same time Utah produced 35,oO0,0oo|
pounds, and California 157,346,160
pounds. The entire output of the
United States was 475,463 tons. Add
ing this to the imports We have a
grand total Of 6,293.214, 154 pounds,
the sugar used last year. This rep
resents about eighty pounds for ev-
cry person.
The use of sugar dates back to the
fifteenth century. when the people
of the Iudies boiled cane juice and
made brown sugar The first refinery
was established in Dresden in 1547,
Sugar in United States.
The sugar made il the United
States comes from the cane fields OF
the south and the beet platations OF
the north ald west. Of the crop OF
1902 there were 100000 tons of cane
and 1875, 463 tons Of beet sugar. The
cane plant was introduced into this
country from Europe. The old cru
saders Of the sixteenth century
brought it to that country. 1t IS
grown chiefly in Louisiana and the
surrounding states. The fields are
thoroughly irrigated and the crop
generally propagated from cuttings
or old roots. 1t is different from the
American sorghum, which has been
used for about one-half of a century
in making mOlasses.
Thirty-three years ago the beet
sugar industry was introduced on the
Pacific coast The first factory was
! built al AlvaTadO, Cal, by E. 4. by
er. an experienced sugar refner.
From the beginning the industry has
grown to about fifty factories, locat-
ed in thirteen states. The demand
for sugar increases every year, and
! efforts are being made for locating
new factories in many sections OF the
west. Among the new sites selected
! for possible sugar beet centers are
| North Yakima and Prosser, in Cen
| trail Washington. The factory at
Prcsser is practically assured. The
beets will be grown b. experts from
Utah and Oregon.
The value of beets for making
sugar was discovered in Germany
some time during the eighteenth
century. Many experiments were
made in manufacturing. But the
first attempt gave only about five
pounds Of sugar to 100 pounds Of
beet pulp. This did not pay well
enough and the work was abandoned
Later it was ascertained that 200
pounds of graduated sugar could
be taken from ton Of beets, and
factories were established for max
ing the product. Since then a large
area has been planted to sugar beets
every year in some of the countries
OF Europe. and the making of sugar
has become one Of the great indus
tries.
Washington Beet Sugar.
The sugar OF Washington is made
from beet juice. Not all beets are
used for this purpose. Those testing
from II to 20 per cent. saccharine
are purchased at the factory. The
farmers receive about $3.50 per ton
for the clean beets as they are haul
ed from the fields. These tubers are
sampled to ascertain the purity and
contents Of saccharine Or sugar max
ing juice. Then they are washed ana
machine. Here they are sliced into
pieces not more than one-eighth of
an inch thick. Then the slices go to
a diffusion battery and the sacchar-
inc is separated from the pulp.
Hot water is the element used in
extracting the sugar juice from the
beets. 1t is turned into the battery
about a dozen times and by this
method takes out the essential
sweets from the pulp. The juice
then passes into clarifying pans,
where lime is used to take out the
impurities. To make fine sugar the
liquid is run over preparation of
bone black, which removes the i'm
purities not otherwise taken out. 1t
is then placed in a tank, where it
forms a syrup composed of molasses
and pure sugar. When the syrup is
removed the sugar passes through