The Lamar register., 1903-01-14
Great Future for the New Industry Is Pre-.
dicted by Secretary WilsOn.--Sees
End of Importation.

first began to make beet sugar, the
farmers who raised the beets found
it back breaking business, but our
inventors, who are always ready to
seize an opportunity to Tighten la
Dor and multiply the results, saw
that 1t was up to them to furnish
proper implements and machinery.
Before long they will not only re
lieve the farmer largely from manu-
al labor, but will provide tools that
will enable him to do more work and
produce better results than now
You can trust Yankee genius to tax,
care of that situation. 1t has al
ready supplied machinery for the
factories which is much superior to
that used in any other part of the
world.
"The first sugar factory establish
ed in the United States had to i'm
port apparatus because it had never
been made in this country, but our
Manufacturers soon got it, and now
they are giving us much superior
and more economical machinery than
we can find any where else in the
world. The old factories are dis.
carding their German and French
machinery, and are substituting
American machinery for it. We are
now able to entirely equip factory
with American made machinery
which is less cumbersome and more
economical. 1t will get more juice
out of the beets with less fuel and
less attention, and the manufactures
are bringing out every spring new
and cheaper contrivances for seeding,
cultivating and harvesting, SO as to
economize in horse power and hu.
man labor and cheaper the cost of
production.
"The farmer now gets an average
of 81 so ton for low-grade beets
and an increase for each additional
percentage of sugar. In some of
the states out West beets run as
high as Sc ton, and even higher,
and there is good money in raising
beets at that price.
81 don't know much about the
profits of the manufacturers. That
is not my line of inquiry. I deal
with farmers and try to keep posted
in regard to everything that affects
their interest, but I assume that
there is a good profit in the business
or the factories would not be spring
ing up as rapidly as they are. No
other new industry in the United
States is developing so rapidly, and
perhaps none has even grown so
fast; money makes the mare go in the
beet sugar business as in everything
else.
81 came to Washington March 4,
1897, from the Iowa agricultural col
lege, where 1 had been experiment
ing with beet sugar for six years,
and had become deeply interested in
the subject. Even then was suits
fed that the United States could
produce its own sugar, and would dc
SO before many years. With this
faith in my soul, when I entered the
larger field offered by the agricult-
ural department., 1 began at once tc
promote the industry to the best OF
my ability. began to import suga,
beet seed and distribute it among
the farmers. I ordered survey fol
the study of the climate, the soil and
other conditions, to ascertain what
sections of the country were most
favorable for the business and to Sc
cure all possible information of val
ue. This policy and the efforts OF
the department were cordially sup
ported by congress and the farmers
throughout the country, and we have
been able to demonstrate what are
the best localities, the best soils, the
best climates and the best varieties oi