The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-28

Total Output Of Magnificent New
Plant Will Be Sold in
Z Treasure State. 4
Special to The Journal.

| Special to The journal.
| Billings, Mont, Oct. 27.-The first
| steps for the introduction of the sugar
beet industry into the Yellowstone val
| ley were taken in this city less than
two years ago, and after a short and
vigorous campaign, in which mass
meetings were held in orderyto explain
the advantages. to farmers, contracts
made certain the planting of 1000
| acres to beets.
1t was the original intention to Sc
cure Russian families for the cultiva-
ton of the crop, but the sugar com
pany was unable to obtain them in
sufficient numbers, so Japanese were
substituted. Even the little brown
men did not appear in overwhelming
or even sufficient numbers, and the
| growers were compelled to employ
! American laborers at necessarily
]3higher scale of wages, which will re.
! suit in cutting down the margin of
profit on the crop. If s
= Pay for Land First Year. {
This being the first harvest, and the
proposition being new one to the
growers, the tonnage will mot be 50
! great as@it would have beensunder more
/ favorable condition. Some fields will
produce stwenty tons to the acre. but
on the whole the average will not ex-
. coed eighteen tons. At eighteen tons,
the gross profit will be 800 an acre, and
4 the net return will run from $50 to $50
Z to the acre, which means that the land
is practically paid for with one sea
sons crop. t'.:* .y>:zes NTH.
The plant represents an investment
I of one and one-quarter millions of dob
i lars, A$and~2is up to date in even the
minutest detail, The machinery is Of
i the LATEST ''Steffens' process, which
Twill extract the greatest percentage Of
f saccharine matter from the beets. The
factory hasa capacity Of =, 200 tons Of
= beets a day, and it IS estimated that
about $4,000 tons, the present season 5
crop, will be converted into sugar in
less than four months. ="
AS the beets are received at the fac.
tory, they are dumped from the wagons
and cars into the huge beet sheds and
sent by the force of water thru con
crete fumes into the factory, where
after being weighed on automatic
scales, they are sliced and put thru the
various processes which finally results
in pure white sugar.
l. Some Big Buildings. 49,
. The. main building, which is shown
in the cut, is five stories in height, 800
| LeeG' long ddu 20 1eoL "W1u6. Inc SuSdl
warehouse is 400 feet in length and s.
feet in~=wfdth: The boiler house II
200. by, so. feet; the lime-kiln house
100 by So feet, and the beet sheds
which enclose three elevated railway
tracks and two wagon tracks, are :40{
i by $50 feet. These sheds have a stor
age capacity of 5000 tons of beets.
The smokestack which surmounts tn.
boilerhouse is $50 feet in height, thu
i tallest in the state, and has an insid
. diameter of twelve feet Three hun
q dred tons Of coal will be consume,
, daily in generating steam with whic]
, to propel the ponderous machinery, AM
, 100 tons of lime rock will be use'
every day in the publication Of tn
: beet juice.
The manufactured product will b
8 placed on the local market, and it, j
: believed every pound will be consumes
: in Montana, altho if running to it
l fullest capacity, the factory would b
/ able to produce twice as much suga
: as could he used by residents Of tn
{ state.&f >5. '... =