Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-08

all shipped east. II required 1,2O0 cars to
carry them to market. This years crop is
much larger than that OF last year and
will be record breaker
The late "Dixie' Thompson was the
bean king. / wrote you about him year
or more ago. He raised several thousand
acres of beans year after year and shipped
his entire crop to Boston in solid trains.
They were always consigned to the same
man, and Thompson always got the same
price, regardless of the market quotations.
The commission merchant who bought
them had his regular customers also, who
finally became so fixed In their habits that
they were unable to eat any but Thomp-
sons beans. They baked them in large
crooks every Saturday night and set them
out on the window lodges to cool for Sum-
day morning breakfasts. The genuine
Yankee always cooks his beans that way.
1t is sign of true aristocracy to bake your
beans in a crock and put them out on a
window ledge to cool.
Since his death Thompson's ranch has
been cut UP into small holdings. and the
largest bean field, cultivated by the same
man. at present in this country Is limited
to 1000 acres. The white beans are all
sent to New England direct; the lima beans
go to New York and other cities.
Raising Sugar Beets.
The town of Oxnard, thriving commu-
nifty Of about 1000 people. surrounded by
1890 acres of beets, stands where there
was nothing but a greasewood desert four
or five years ago. 1t is a striking illustra-
ton of the capacity Of California SOL and
the ease with which 1t may be converted
into a garden. OXnard is all sugar beets.
There is nothing else there. and in the CEN
ter of the town Is a monstrous factory
next to the largest on the coast-which will
eat up 2,000 tons of beets every day and
turn them into sugar. 1t was located here
by the Oxnard brothers. or the American
Beet Sugar Company, upon inducements
offered them by the land owners in this
locality They were given 1900 acres as an
inducement for them to come, and they
have 1t all planted to beets. because they
cannot get enough from the farmers Beet
raising Is back-breaking business Help is
scarce. There are five sugar factories In
this state, and 1t Is impossible for them to
obtain beets enough to keep them busy.
One Of them. belonging to J. D. Spreckies,
at jacksonville, In the Rajaro valley, Is
closed because the farmers will not or can
not raise the beets to supply 1t. Labor ts
SO scarce that they cannot get hands, and
the laws of Congress will not permit them
to import Chinese labor.
The people at jacksonville are now nego-
tiating with three or four hundred Swe-
dish families to come over and take up
ten acres Of land each and set out orchards,
planting sugar beets between the young
trees until the latter mature and begin to
bear. 1t Is easy to raise $50 tons Of sugar
beets in a ten-acre orchard and they will
sell from "a ton upward, according to the
amount Of saccharine they contain. The
ordinary profits on beets is about 81 ton.
while the profit on beans. which may also
be planted between young trees without
injurng them, Is about $50 an acre. Pota-
toes and onions will realize about the same.
Can't Keep Factory Busy.
There are about 1000 acres of beets on
both sides of the track of the Southern
Pacific railroad north and south of the town
of Oxnard, and at frequent intervals side
tracks are put in and dumps built, 80 that
the farmers can drive their wagons up and
dump their beets into the cars. Last year
they raised about 100000 tons of beets in
this neishborhood, which, however, kept
the factory going only eighty days. The
problem now is to extend the season by
planting a little earlier in some places and
a little later in others. so that the factory
can run at least four months. The beets
in this section average 10 per cent saccha-
rine and bring from 81 upward per ton,
according to their quality.
The nearest beet sugar factory Is one
hundred miles north at place called
Beeteravia. which, the conductor told me.
Is the French for sugar beet. 1t Is con-
trolled by the trust and consumes 1900
tons of beets a day. There is another at
Albarado, and Senator Clark has a fac
tory at Los Alamedos. Of which 1 told you
the other day. ]. D. Spreckles, son Of the
Hawaiian sugar king, has the finest factory
in this country-and 1 have been assured
that 1t is the finest in the world-at Salinas,
where he handles $500 tons of beets day.
He grows 1900 acres Of beets himself and
the enterprise represents investment of
s1OOO0,CO0. Spreckles formerly owned 1t
all himself, but, after long fight, sold a
half interest to the trust, which now con-
trolls every beet sugar factory in this
section. A new one Is being built at Visala,
in the San Joaquin valley. in the central
part of the state.
There 10 no more profitable business in
California or elsewhere than the manu-
facture of beet sugar, and 1t would be very
much extended, If it were not that the lack
of labor makes 1t impossible to get the
beets. If the manufacturers were permitted
to import a limited number of Chinese
farmers, the industry would be doubled as
fast as factories could be built, but 1t has
reached Its limit with the present supply of
la Dor.
When Henry T. Oxnard, president Of the
American Beet Sugar Company, as the
trust is legally known, was trying to Sc
cure his election to the United States Sen
ate he took up his residence at the town
of Oxnard and claimed to be a citizen OF
California. Immediately after his defeat in
the republican state convention last fall,
where he could not control even the vote
Of his own county, he packed up his lares
and penates and moved to New York. He
has not been seen here since, but his in
terests are still very large.