Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-01-09
FARMING MATTERS.
Colorado sugar Beet Crop.

|
proven the best money makers this
year Of any crop grown in this state.
The possibilities Of this industry are
illustrated In the prosperity found In
tho districts where sugar factories are
located. The manufacture OF beet
festly Possesses q great many advant-
ages. The growing OF beets Is con-
Quoted on entirely different lines from
those governing the growing OF cane
for sugar. With the latter the rule II
to raise the cane on large plantations.
the lnborers all being wage earners.
On the contrary. beet production Is all
In the hands OF independent farmers.
and many Of thom make large profits.
Moreover. the making OF sugnr Is not
the only profitable business depending
upon beet growing. The pulp. from
which the juice In extracted. is u fine
food for cattle and sheep. and such
feeding In carried on tn large extent.
These allied Industries arc doing n
/ great deal to develop the resources OF
some sections that before seemed hope
less OF ever supporting any consider
able population.
Thorough community Of interest ex-
lists between the farmers and the sugar
makers. The factory management must
sca that the grower IL satisfied or there
| Will bc no bccts grown to keep tho
plant running and the beet grower In
stimulated to careful work by the
niidin. scale paid for bccts. Not only
tho ionnak. yield. but tho sugar con-
tent depends largely upon agricultural
conditions. a land boom has occurred
In all sections tributary to factories
Il h. q. a..g In lNss =
big Colorado factory from $50 TO 900
men are employed nj wages ranEin.
from :: to 81 per day. A run Of nifty
nye days should average SEQ tons daily.
turning out from 500 to e.sco bags
! of Eranuln,sd sugar. Running at Its
full capacity such a factory consumes
In oar day i.cCo tons of be-ta. tn. pro-
duct of siSty-iy- acres. With zoo op-
craiisea. at an operating cost Of 81, 90.
from 5000 worth Of bc.,s. a factory
produces $4,000 worth Of sugar. Tho
bsc,s average sls an acre gross and tho
sugar made from an aero Of ber,s sells
by tho ca a, t.5o. Aftrr dI. allow
anee for Inevitable Ehu,downz and ar-
eidea's duEinE the season. the net an
nuai capacity Of u. factory Ia about
u.OoS.eco aoE,h Of sranaiaissi sugar. in
making which II will dlsbuEse over
tcpo!opo Zoe br-'a and tisp.e0s for OPP
Grating espsnssa.
Tho nrsi factory hull, IN the state
sas located Et Grand Junction. hu, -S-
iscnoi-s Arose and tho plan, shut down
after tlr.. years operation. The bond
holders have no~ taken Il over and
tho farmers have promised tn plant
snelcien, acreage to make a good run
nrst season. I, will b. enlarged from
four hundred to eight hundred tons
II
| a caparity Of i.npp tons. and the one al
Sugar City with zoo tons. have made
three successful campaigns. The popa-
Iaiioa has tfrbled and land values have
greatly Increased. A, Rocky Ford In
i1po 1000 arg~s wcrr IN hr-ts: In 1901.
300 acres were planted. and this year
the beet fields covered ;.ppp acres The
fourth factory vas built IN northern
Colorado al Ioscland. t.aFiflor county.
and Is nov making It's sr,uad ssccoss-
fui campaign. u receives tho beets of
a vide ai!ar-n; AREA and -ili this Jcar
slice more than 10000 tons Of ber;s.
averaging sixteen per cent. In sugar
and eighty -four In purity. Two nou
factories were put into operation this
year-Grrclcy on October 9th and la
ton on October si,h. Greeley will use
approximately 5000 tuus aud Eaton
frum 1000 to sp.ecp.
Tho sr.a, success now known beyond
all peraisenturo has awakened capital
lists and farmers alike and nearly es-
cry agricultural to~n In the state IL de-
sirous Of getting into the procession.
Several ne~ contracts have been le,
= which call for completed plants to USE
the crop Of 1904. A sp1.,oB factory will
| be located at Aiamosa In the San Luis
valley. and all fall steam piows have
been putting the soil In readiness for
next spring. Contracts have also been
signed for a .sgo.ton establishment a,
Fort Morgan In Morgan county and the
necessary acreage has been secured.
The farmers at Lamar In Pro~ers
county are justified In their energies In
this direction, inasmuch as the finest
Of beets have been grown for years and
commercially during the past three
, seasons. the product going TO the Rocky
Ford factory. Iongmont and Wind
! sor. Piatteville. brighton and Fort
/ 1.up;on near Denver. and Brush and
| Sterling In the lower Platte valley.
have been holding mass meetings to
| sEita,e the subject. and their desires
may in time be rewarded.
The question arises: If factories eo
on multiplying as they promise TO do in
/ Colorado the coming year. Ia there no;
/ danger Of Uvcrpruductionr We believe
there is none. The American people
usa more sugar than any other nation
/ and to supply the United States with
I sugar IL would take 600 more factories
I like the one al Rocky Ford: II would
/ take 50.Cg0.gg1 more tons of beets and
I at 81 per ton. much less than the av-
erass price in Colorado. would mean
/ 500 600. 900 to be paid out at home to
the farmers alone. II would require an
expenditure OF s5O0.VO9.O0o to build the
/ factories; to be paid to steel furnaces
and foundries, bTickyards and la
borers in general. Once these fac
tories were in operation. It would
mean an expenditure of 800 for
each ton OF sugar produced against
the expenditure in this country of $40
ton for the refining OF foreign sugar
on our Atlantic and Pacific seaboards.