Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-07-12
WISCONSIN BEET SUGAR.
University Of Wisconsin Experiment
Station Makes Interesting Report.

n AOoeoluS ILL pOl uooAOO
OF the beet sugar industry in Wis
consin is strikingly shown by the
statistics of last seasons product,
just compiled by the state univer-
slty experiment station. During
the past year over 125, 900 tons of
oeets were grown by Wisconsin
FARMERS, for which they received
nearly $685., 900. From these beets
the four beet sugar factories pro-
duced over 27,OOO,OOO pounds of
white granulated sugar, the value
OF which was $1,3e3, 200. The
tour factories receiving beets from
Wisconsin farmers, located at Memo
monee Falls, GAINESVILLE, Chippewa
Falls, and Menominee, Michigan,
represent an investment of about
30, 100000, and during the season
employ 882 hands with a monthly
pay roll of $67,S Over SITS
Wisconsin farmers furnished beets
to these factories last year from
IA, 400 acres planted with sugar
beetS.
HOW EXPERIMENTS HAVE BEEN CAR
RIED ON.
The experimental work which
paved the way for the beet sugar
industry in Wisconsin was COM
menced by the state university
agricultural experiment station in
1889. During the past fifteen years
a series of experiments have been
carried on under the direction of
Professor E. w. Woll, both at the
university farm and in various parts
of the state.
These experiments, the results of
which have just been published in
the university experiment station
bulletin, show that sugar beets
can be successfully grown in prac-
tically all parts Of the state. The
statistics of beets grown on the
university farm show an average
yield for eleven seasons of over
ia tons of beets per acre. The
average yield of sugar during these
seasons which included dry, wet,
cold, and medium ones, has there
fore been about two and one-half
tons per acre, at least 80 per cent
more than the average yield in any
factory district of this or any other
country. This may, accordingly, be
considered the correct average re-
suits for yield and quality Of beets
grown on Wisconsin soil for a
series of years under good method
of culture.
ANALYZE MANY SAMPLES.
In order to determine the adapta-
bility of the soil and climate of
different sections of the state for
raising sugar beets, high grade
beet seeds have been distributed to
the farmers, who have been en-
couraged to submit the beets grown
to the experiment station for analy-
sis AS a result nearly 5000 samples
of sugar beets from all parts of the
state have been analysed by the ex-
pertinent station chemists. The
average content of sugar has been
found to be Is per cent with a
purity of 70 per cent, while the
average yield as reported by the
farmers has been 14.08 tons per
acre. Since many Of the farmers
had no previous experience in grow
ing sugar beets and often did not
give them the special attention ne
cessary to produce results, these re-
suits are not as high as those OBJ
tanned at the university farm, but
they indicate that sugar beets of
excellent quality can be grown in
this state and that no difficulty
need be experienced in reaching
and even exceeding the factory
standard for sugar content and
purity.
LOCALITIES BEST ADAPTED FOR
BETS.
The experiments in growing beets
in various parts of the state under
the direction Of the station show
the entire eastern, extreme north
western, and middle northern sec
tions of the state are especially
adapted to raising sugar beets, for
most of the samples received from
these sections have been very rich
in sugar and have been of high
purity. The samples received from
the counties in the southwestern
part of the state, in what is known
to the geologists as the driftless
area, and from the sandstone area
Immediately north OF this area,
have been of rather a low sugar
content and purity, and it seems,
therefore, that beets cannot be sue
cessfully grown in this section, ex-
cept, possibly, as a result of special
fertilization. It is generally rec
ognized by experts who have
studied the situation in the state,
that Wisconsin, with the exception
of this one section, is one of the
most favorable states in the union
for growing sugar beets, since the
beets produced here are large in
size, of very high sugar content,
and of more than average purity.
GROWTH OF INDUSTRY.