The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-13
INDUSTRY BUT SIX YEARS OLD
Figures Showing One Seasons Results In Northern Colorado
Brief Description of Process Of Making
Finished Article.
Sugar beet tonnage, 100000.

Sugar beet tonnage, $50, 600.
Total value to growers, $780, 600.
Amount disbursed for factory labor,
100000.
Investments in factories, So, O0O,O 600.
Pounds of sugar produced, 8,OOO,.
600, 900.
The foregoing figures represent one
year in the beet sugar indsutry in
Colorado. They were taken from a re-
cent issue of the Rocky Mountain
News, published at Denver. The same
paper says:
During the present week more than
$1,000, 900 will be distributed by the
six northern Colorado beet sugar fac
tories. This will represent the pay
ments for the month of November to
the beet farmers and factory workers,
and will practically mark the close OF
the sugar season, as the supply OF
beets has been about exhausted. The
season has been a most profitable one
for both the beet growers and tn
sugar kings. The aggregate amount OF
money expended in the industry in
Colorado for the year will be close to
100000 The tonnage this year
was not as large as might
have been expected, owing to
early indications of a dry
season, for which reason many far.
e were warned not to depend en-
tirely upon the beet crop. However,
he season proved a good one, and the
tonnage equaled that of last year, al
though the factories could have easily
handled o%ne-fourth more than noted
in the foregoing table,"
Reaching Out Further.
After some Introductory notes of no
mater;ality, the same. article con-
tinues:
every day the beet industry
reaches out further and further in
Colorado. Only last week the Sterling
Sugar company was organized-a Den
yer institution-the primary purpose
OF which is to use Colorado soil in the
production Of sugar; the soil makes
the best beets and the beets make the
sugar and the sugar makes the money.
This same man Morey-the sugar
beet king-is head and shoulders OF
the Sterling company, too, in addition
to his many other sugar institutions
already under operation.
Beet sugar production is classed
as an infant industry but it is rap
idly becoming a most healthy infant.
Development Of Industry.
Its development and growth have
been remarkable; during the past five
years this industry has leaped for
ward with wonderful strides until it
is now, beyond question, on a perma-
nent and paying basis. There is now
more than $25, 0OO, 900 invested in
plants for the manufacture of this
class OF sugar, to say nothing of the
immense sums represented in the cul.
tlvatfon of the particular variety OF
beet that is best adapted for the pro-
duction. And one of the most potent
advocates of this department is the
work that has been done in perfecting
this beet. At the beginning of the
last century the sugar beet contained
but 5 per cent of sugar; it now con-
tains from IA to 20 per cent, and it's
highest development has been reached
in the United States from seed i'm
ported from Europe. Until very re-
Gently all of the best seeds were i'm
ported from the mother country, but
they are now grown in large quanti-
ties in California, Michigan and else.
where.
Extracting the Sugar.
"The method of extracting sugar
from beets, though simple, is a sealed
book to the average person, the bust
ness having developed so rapidly and
quietly that it has attracted little at.
tention to any save those financially
interested. It is most Interesting,
nevertheless.
Storage of the raw material plays
no small part in the economy of the
business. room having been provided
for many thousands OF tons of the
vegetables awaiting treatment, and
the device generally used is q shed or
open bin with q trough-shaped floor
along the bottom OF which extends a
Nana1 made NJ nnotal nr maa0nrv