Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-24

exclusive consumption Of Utah sugar
no matter what Its cost These efferts
resulted VIGOROUSLY and gradually the
Farmers became so well acquainted
with the proper methods OF cultivating
the beets that they were not only con-
tented but anxious TO continue the cul.
ture of sugar beets. At the same time
the factory also gained experience and
gradually acquired cheaper and more
efficient methods for the extraction of
sugar, until at present the beet sugar
Hluiiu 81 HlluloIA pun uoln W GLlsnpuI
and lastingly established.
OTHER FACTORIES.
a few years subsequent in 1897. Hon.
David Eccles, Hon, Thomas ID. Dee,
Hon. Fred j. Kiesei and a number OF
other Ogden citizens concluded to ex-
tend the sugar Industry to northern
Utah. Consequently the Ogden fac
tory, having Il daily capacity OF 400
tons, was erected In 1898 and during
that same year these gentlemen also
erected similar factory at La Grande,
Oregon, 1t being the only beet factory
then and now existing In that state.
Three years later Mr.. Eccles and his as
socates erected a 500 ton plant at
Logan, Utah, and all Of these establish
ments are still operating and have been
successful from the commencement Be-
sides these establishments, the Utah
Sugar company has since multiplied its
plants until today they operate two
factories and three additional slicing
stations. The promoters Of this COM
pany have also established factory at
Idaho Falls, and intend next season to
erect an additional one at Fremont,
Idaho.
UTAH AND CALIFORNIA.
The historical infantile discourage
ments ard reverses of the Utah sugar
interests differ little from those ex-
perienced In other beet producing
states. California, for instance, In
1870 only produced Ave thousand bags
or sugar, an amount less than weeks
output from our Ogden factory, and as
late as 1889 the sugar production OF all
the combined factories OF California on.
ly aggregated about q 900 bags, or less
than months output from our Ogden
plant. During the so-called dormant
period OF the beet sugar industry In the
United States, between the years 1870
and 1887, great financial loss came to
those who had attempted the establish
ment OF this enterprise and It is inter-
esting to note that not only did the
cane sugar interests attempt to i'm
press capital with the futiity of main
tanning beet sugar as a profitable in
vestment, but the beet interests were
temporarily wholly sidetracked by the
attempts to extract sugar from other
agricultural products. Thus here in
Utah for while we tried unsuccessful
ly to produce sorghum as competitor
to cane sugar, while In California they
as signally failed In an attempt to
produce sugar from watermclons.
FARMER ALL RIGHT.
In all this struggle however. the
farmer has never been serious fnan-
cial sufferer. The price to the grower
Of M.25 TO A.T5 per ton of beets was
established at time when sugar sold
at $lb per bag In San Francisco, and to
this date, when sugar sells at about
one-thlrd that amount, the price for
beets Is still the same. Thus the agri-
cultural profits of this crop have not
only not changed with the decline in
the value OF sugar, but because of the
increased quantity now produced per
acre, the farmer is today reapng
proportionately greater benefit from the
sugar industry than are the owners OF
the factories
THE AVERAGE BEET CROP.
Ten years ago, five or six tons per
acre was an average crop; today two
or three times that amount constitutes
the average, while a harvest Of twenty
TO thirty tons per acre is not an UNI
common occurrence. II has been dem
onstrated that irrigation IL a most i'm
10 As.k In. l,i In. lassg
has also developed In the culture Of
this crop more so than with any 9TH
err that Irrigation may become source
of great danger. The natural tendency
10 cling to any substance Of value,
whether absolutely necessary or not,
has In many Instances caused
farmers to over-irrlgate their
crops. So far as the sugar beet
is concerned. this method has not
only caused wasteful withholding OF
benefits from others without any cor
responding advantages To the grower,
but IL has had the effect of materially
reducing the Industrial value OF the
crop. II Is very difficult to impress
this fact upon the minds of the farm
ers. The factories here at various times
resorted to different experiments, hav-
ing for their object the Withholding OF
water from the crops at improper and
Improbable times, but IN this matter
there Is yet much to be learned by the
farmer DESTROYS Of becoming success
full beet producer. Another thing that
we have learned here In Utah IL that
as q rule beets are not successfully or
proftably raised upon any large tract
of land. In this country the climatic
conditions are such that but n very
short time each spring can be devoted
to planting the seed. Consequently tho
crops over all the fields reach the
thinning stage Mt about the same time,
and II has proven not only Improbable
but wholly unsatisfactory to employ
temporary laborers, not otherwise en-
gagged upon the farm, to perform this
necessary work at the proper ami linn