The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-12-07
SUGAR FACTORY PROMOTERS
ARE MEETING WITH SUCCESS
Several Successful Meetings With the
Farmers Have Been Held-Kittitas
tas County Interested.

been assured for some time, but the
promoters would not proceed with the
work of construction and assume the
heavy expenditures that would have to
be made at once, with view to complet-
ing the factory in time to work a crop
next year unless there was some assur-
ance that the farmers would have a suf-
ficient quantity of beets ready for de-
livery to warrant the factory in work
ing the crop. The efforts of the promot-
ers, the members of the Yakima Com
mercial club and all who are interested
in the enterprise, have been directed
for the past few days to securing con-
tracts for the acreage necessary
amounting to 1000 acres. This work
is progressing satisfactorily, although
it must be admitted that the farmers
nave not fallen over each other in their
anxiety to sign contracts. All that
were gotten had to be gone after.
Several meetings have been held at
schoolhouses throughout the county, and
Others are arranged for, and the results
of these have all been very gratifying
One of the most successful of these was
neld at the Holland schoolhouse in the
Mckee last Wednesday evening, address
ed by Edward Whitson, Prof. Barge, O.
A. Fechter, A. B. Weed and H. B. Scud-
der, about seventyfive residents of that
section being present. More than a doz.
en- contracts were signed for various
amounts.
The freight rate of so cents ton
granted by the Northern Pacific from
all points between Ellensburg and Pas
co to North Yakima extends the terri
tory tributary to the factory over suf.
ficient stretch of excellent sugar beet
country to guarantee all the beets one
factory can handle after the first year
That other localities are awake to the
opportunity offered is indicated by the
following, and in regard to the first
clipping it may be said that the desires
of the Ellensburg people had been an
ticipated, and before the Capital was
printed Mr.. PREM and one or two good
assistants were on the ground to see
what the farmers of Kittitas would do
in the way of signing contracts. The
Capital of last week says:
The Yakima people are working like
beavers to secure a sugar beet factory
there. Tney find some difficulty in get
ting enough ground pledged to the grow
ing of beets to keep the factory running
up to the requirements. Why doesn't
their committee come up here and get
| pledges? Tests have shown That Kitti.
tas can grow sugar beets as good as are
grown anywhere, and the distance is
certainly no barrier to the Yakima fac
tory using our product. If our farmers
can see good profit in beets they will
be willing to grow them provided a
steady market is assured.
The Prosser Bulletin has the follow.
ing welcome encouragement to offer:
The North Yakima Sugar Beet COM
pany desires the farmers in the vicinity
of Prosser to grow beets for the pro-
posed factory to be located at the coun-
ty seat. NJ. Stone of jackson, Mich,
one of the promoters of the factory and
stakeholder in the company, arrived
here Tuesday. The company has Sc
cured freight rate of so cents a ton on
beets from points within fifty miles of
North Yakima, which includes Prosser
Mr. Stone wishes the farmers mere to
sign contracts to grow beets for three or
five years, for which the company will
pay So per ton at North Yakima, netting
the farmer $3.50 here. The company
will also furnish seed at Is cents per
pound, to be paid for when the beets
are harvested. 1t requires from Is to
20 pounds of seed to the acre and Mr..
Stone says that actual tests made bv
thirty farmers around North Yakima.
prove that the yield in this valley will
average eighteen tons.
The farmers around Prosser having
signed up about / 800 acres a little over
year ago, when an effort was made to
locate a factory here, Mr.. Stone thinks
considerable acreage can ow be secured
mere for the Yakima factory. He has
laid his plans before anumber of the
leading business men and they will do
what they can to assist him in inducing
the farmers to make contracts. He has
been furnished the names of the farm
ers who made contracts last wear and
will either visit them or employ others
to do so. Mr.. Stone says that about
$500 acrse of the 1000 required for
Yakima to secure the factory have been
pledged, and thinks there is no doubt
about the balance being raised. He is
from a beet growing district in Nichi-
gan and thoroughly understands the
business. Other factories will be built
IN this valley, he thinks, if the North
Yakima plant is a success, and if the