Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-24
BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY
Growth and Importance in
Colorado.
IN ITS FIFTH SEASON
PROSPECT OF A PRODUCT WORTH
$4,000, 600.
Operations on Large Scale-Benefit Of
the Great Irrigation
System.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
Next to hay and gold mining, the beet
sugar industry is the most important in
Colorado, and is just now in the midst of
it's fifth season, with prospect of making
IS, 900 900 worth of sugar this year. This
is, of course, but drop in the bucket COM
pared with the enormous quantity con-
sumed in this country. but it is signifi-
cant indication of what is being done and
what can be done in the arid states in the
way of agriculture. The people Of the
United States consume about $4,000, GOO
worth of sugar every year. they make s25,-
100000 worth and import $E5,00O,O0o worth,
all of which might be produced at home,
and undoubtedly will be in time because
we have the soil and can get the labor. and
there is no more profitable crop for farm
ers. 1t is one Of the greatest economical
problems before the American people and
the succulent beet is destined to play an i'm
portant part in their future prosperity.
There are nine beet sugar factories In
Colorado. Six of them lie north of Den
yer and are controlled by the Havemeyer
sugar trust, which furnished the principal
part of the capital for their establishment.
The largest in Colorado, and I believe 1t Is
the largest in the country, with capacity
Of 200 tons of beets a day, is located at
Fort Collins. There is another very nearly,
If not quite, as large at Loveland, and at
Greeley, Ea ton, Windsor and Longmont are
factories of 600 tons daily capacity. The
first and smallest factory In the state,
capable of consuming $50 tons of beetS
day, was built at Grand junction in 1899,
but has not been successful. For some
reason or another the farmers in that VI
cinity raise better fruit than beets. The
factory has not been able to buy enough to
for running IT. that last season IL
was shut down entirely.
At Sugar City, little town just east Of
Pueblo on the Missouri Pacific railroad, is
50O-ton factory, which has been very
prosperous 1t owns 1900 acres Of land,
well irrigated, and raises its own beets.
This year it has had 1000 acres under cul-
tivation and about 1900 acres leased 70
small farmers, so that 1t is always sure Of
raw material
At ROCKFORD, the great cantaloupe head
quarters Is a factory second In size only to
those at Fort Collins and Loveland, and 1t
has proved to be one of the most profitable
enterprises in Colorado, being better than
gold mine. There are thirfyIthree beet SUI
gar factories in operation In the United
States this year. The confidence Of the su-
gar trust in the stability and profit of these
enterprises is indicated by the determine
ton with which tt secures stock in all OF
them. Mr. Havemeyer and his associates
are heavily interested in nearly every fac
tory excepting those in Washington and
Oregon and two Or three in Michigan. Five
hundred such factories like those at Fort
Collins and ROCKFORD would supply the en-
tire population OF the United States with
sugar.
The ROCKFORD company cultivates its
own beets, leases land to individual farmers
and contracts with independent farmers
for stated supply at a stated price. This
year it has had 1900 acres under cultiva-
ton within radius Of thirty miles Of the
factory; it has leased G,O0O acres in small
tracts, furnishing seed and instruction to
the cultivation Of beets, and is selling forty
acre farms on easy terms to any people who
will contract and give bond to cultivate not
less than ten acres Of beets annually for
ten years. The company furnishes seed free
of cost; it employs eight agricultural chem
lists to educate the farmers and superintend
its own beet fields, and has an immigration
agency seeking settlers for its land. Next
year it expects to have 10000 acres in beets,
and the crop is extending wherever land
can be irrigated. One japanese farmer has
had 300 acres in beets this year, which have
averaged fifteen tons to the acre, and he
has sold them for s. per ton, which brings
him gross revenue of $4,000 from a 800
acre farm.
A great advantage in beet farming is the
fact that the farmer sells his crop before he
plants it, and has contract in his pocket
for fixed price for every ton of beets he
can raise. At Fort Collins and at other
places the price is regulated by the amount
of saccharine in. the beet, s. a ton being
paid for those yielding IL per cent sugar.
and more in proportion In the Arkansas
valley the beets will average II per cent
sugar. and have assayed ais high as % per
cent, but the farmers in that locality prefer
hXed price without regard to the assay,
and this year are getting IS a ton at the
dump. That will be thes average price
throughout Colorado.
Another satisfaction is that nothing seems
to injure beets If they have plenty of water.
They are the toughest of all crops and will
endure hail. floods, frost and even cyclones.
Even when the leaves are destroyed the
root Will continue to grow as long as it is
not split or broken. Up in the Poudre val
ley there have been floods hail storms tor
nadoes and cloudbursts but the beets have
Kept on growing all the same. People tell
or one FARMER who found his beet field COW
cred with debris brought down from the
mountains by the floods-logs brush wood.
straw and all sorts of thinss-but he calmly
raked II on ana harvested the best crop in
that part of the country.
Operations on Large Scale.
Last season Q303) the Roekyford factory
paid more than 100000 for beets to the
Farmers IN the neighborhood 10000 tons
being brought in by rail and about 10000
tons by wagon Its freight bill to the Santa
Fe railway alone was more than $500, 900,
as 1t buys the beets at the track and pays
the expense of handling them. The bust
1858 iie'S . o"H 81 large. tNdt the railway
company has built elevated tracks and
chutes similar to those used for handling
coal at every station and at other con-
Venient places, SO that the farmer has only
to drive his team up an incline to a Mat
form and pull out the 4end-board of his
wagon, SO that the beets may slide down
into coal car.
Last year the Rockyford company shipped
about $4,000 bags of sugar, each weig hing
about 100 pounds. 1t is all bought by the
sugar trust, and the prices are regulated in
New York.
Everything connected With beet farming
can be done by machinery, except wedding
and thinning the plants and picking up the
weeds between the rows are kept down and
the soil is kept loose by cultivators; the
beets are dug by horse power: but SO far
vide any device for WeSdirr among the
plants, or. thinning them olit where they
are too thick. That has 70 ps done by the
hands Of human hstngs on their knees, and
Slxrt.o M