The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-05
Wonders That the bitches Have
Accomplished.
Will Open a Sugar Factory at
Garden City Soon.
GOODS ALREADY SOLD
A Force of 400 Men Working by
Night and by Day.
When in Operation 500 Men
Will Be Employed.
In November the Town Is Going
to Celebrate.

Garden City, Sept. 5.-Prosperity and
Kansas are SO completely welded just
now that to speak of it's being present
in more emphasized form in one place
than in another is taking a great risk.
But If there Is a place in the state where
the evidences Of its existence are more
pronounced than another it must be
here in Garden City and its vicinity. 1t
exudes in every pore of the commercial
life of the town and section. Merchants
in every line of trade are thriving the
town as a municipality gives marked
signs of its general diffusion and the
smile that won't come off is the most
striking characteristic of the cOunte-
nances OF farmers as well as towns
men.
Like the rest of the state, Garden City
and Finney county have shared in the
good crops that prevail in the central
west There have been abundant rains
for the wheat. sorghum, laffir corn, al
faifa and other staple crops OF the west
ern part of the state. but this section
has a new crop that is responsible for
the unusual prosperity and that is not
dependent upon rainfall for its success.
All Kansas knows what this crop is,
for the press has been full of late of
the sugar beet in the Arkansas valley.
But the whole state is not aware of the
Importance OF the sugar DGGt " Ills
particular portion of the Arkansas val
ley. People have known in a general
way that beet sugar factory has been
building here, but they have not realized
perhaps just wha- this means to Gar
den City and its vicinity. When it is
stated however, that this factory last
week contracted to sell 1900 bags of
sugar from a crop not yet matured, to
say nothing of being harvested, it VIII
be recognized that something is indeed
doing.
So it is this new crop and what it
means-irriga tion-that is responsible
chiefly for present-time prosperity in
this section. Most people who think of
irrigation in connection with western
Kansas probably think only of the gov
eminent project. Practically this is the
minor end of irrigation out here, al
though in way it is. too the most inn
portant. This is not so paradoxical as
IT sounds. The tract which the govern
ment viii irrigate is the smaller part
of the whole irrigible section, and vet
it was the decision of the government
to establisne a plant that was RESPONSE
BILE largely for the private endeavors.
Z decision of the government was a
sort OF official seal that served to give
confidence to private enterprises. In
this way the government project is far
more important than is the mere extent
Altogether, about 5000 acres of land
in Finney county is or will be subject
to irrigation. OF this amount the gov
eminent viii irrigate some 10000 acres.
There will be almost an equal amount
irrigated in Kearney county to the west
all through private enterprise so it will
be readily seen that the extent of the
government project practically is only
a small per cent of the whole
There are four irrigating ditches-the
Garden City the Farmers Cor govern
menD, the Great Eastern. owned by the
sugar company, and the Amazon. locat-
ed chiefly in Kearney county. Brides
these, there are numerous tracts of 10 tc
40 acres irrigated wholly by private
pumping plants. With the government
and sugar company bitches not yet il
operation, there are used here about 100
gallons of gasoline daily in engines
pumping for private and minor irrigat-
ing concerns. There are now actually
being irrigated in the two counties about
$500 acres Of growing beets as a prom
ise O. what the future has in store.
Sugar beets have been grown sue
cessfully hereab bouts for I'VE or si1
years and have been shipped to tn,
factories at Rocky Ford and else
where in Colorado. The acreage ha
been greatly in creased this year OF
account Of the promise that the loca
factory would be in operation this fall
The mill was to have begun opera
ton on October l. Mr. R. P Davfe