Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-04-29
THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY

No Such Important Industry Has
Grown More Rapidly in A
Few Years Than This, in
the United States.
The beet sugar industry is pressing
in around US in an ever narrowing
circle and is not only calling for but
receiving more attention as the years
go by. Our neighbors on the north,
Marathon county, and Eau Claire
county also are thoroughly awake to
this industry, and the time is not
far off when the question will be
asked what is Wood county going to
do about it?" There is no question but
what our climate. soil and people are
adapted to this industry and it has
already passed the experimental
period as a money maker for the
farmer. 1t would not be difficult for
few of our farmers to experiment
on one or two acres each. as the beet
could be shipped to Eau Claire where
a new sugar factory will be completed
this season.
No other as essentially important
industry in the United States has
grown so rapidly in the past decade
as that of raising sugar beets and
manufacturing beet sugar. From
three beet sugar factories in 1891 to
AZ in 1892 the development has been
highly promising Of Americans COM
plete independence of the rest Of the
world with reference to the product
of which she today imports annually
more than one hundred million dol
lars worth. To produce this sufficiently
of sugar at home will require 400
factories employing laborerS both
skilled and unskilled at total ex-
penditure in wages Of some ST., SOC, 900
per year.
For quarter of century our
national legislative bodies have dealt
wisely and unwlsely with reference to
the sugar question. Beet sugar pro-
ducers claim that with favorable
legislation in years past the United
States today would have been we'll
nigh independent in the production
of her annual consumption of sugar
and that through the sugar beet.
But while congressional branches of
the government changes its attitude
from time to time the agricultural
department is steadily carrying on
experiments relative to the sections
of the United States suitable to the
raising of the sugar beet. Year after
year the area of favorable territory in
widely departed sections is extending,
The first test of the sugar beet
industry in the United States was
made about the year 1867, when a
factory established at Alvarado, Cal.
Today the industry is flourishing in
California, Utah, Nebraska, Colorado,
Oregon, Washington, Minnesota,
Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and
New York. 1t is fact fast becoming
established that the greatest instead
of the least part of American soil is
suited to beet culture. The industry
will perhaps flourish more in some of
the western states than farther east;
partly because of the wide acreage
tbat CON no uivo nm fo If
Many western farm owners were at
first reluctant to give over their
lands to beet culture when it was in
the experimental stages. Today they
find that no other vegetable can be
raised with better remuneration than
the sugar beet with it's products. In
Nebraska, for instance, some farms
Of Is and 100 acres the farmers are
realizing as high as $1,000 season as
the net proceeds of their beet crop.
The planting season commences in
April or May, the beets ripen in from
120 to $50 days from the time Of seed
ing. The harvest commences in
September. Ten pounds of seed are
required to an acre of land.
The average beet sugar factory will
handle about 10000 tons of beetS in
a season and manufacture about
10000 tons of sugar. The average
price paid for beetS last year was
from four to four dollars and fifty
cents per ton. The crop average
last year 144 tons per acre, making
the gross receipts to farmers over
s57. 90 per acre.
Salinas. California has the largest
factory in the world, where $4,000
acres of beets can be handled in one
season. The capacity OF this factory
is 1000 tons of beets per day, manu-
featuring 500 tons of sugar per day.
The cost for seed and labor to culti-
vate this area of beets, to keep the
Salinas factory running, is estimated
at S22 per acre. The farmers around
this factory receive $4,000 per day
for their beetS while the factory is in
operation.
The beet sugar industry has attained
enormous proportions in Europe.
n III