The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-27
Gossip and Matters Of Interest
In Railroad Circles.

4
by tests in the Arkansas valley. proved |
that the underfow will supply sufficient
irrigation for the successful growth of
the sugar beet. The next move was to
interest practical sugar. men in the OPP
portunity offered by Kansas The
Santa Fe had secured the establish
ment of a successful refinery farther up
the valley, at Roxy Ford in Colorado, |
and, with this practical demonstration
in sight, it was comparatively easy to
arouse interest in a project for plant
in Kansas.
In the meantime, the railroad COM
pany continued to appropriate money
out of its revenues for further tests of
the underfiow and for experiments with
the soil.
This work was extended even east of
Garden City to Great Bend, and, farth-
er than that, to Arkansas City, All the
way the soil above the overflow pro-
duced the sugar beet
Besides the tests of the underf1oW and
the experiments with the soil in Kansas,
the railroad company continued to as
sist in the establishment of Colorado
refineries. The Rocky Ford refinery
proved to be SO profitable that it was
easy for the Santa Fe to induce the
same company to invest money in an
other at Lamar in 1905. The same year
an independent company was induced
by railroad encouragement to build a
refinery at Lamar.
Now, in 1906 the railroad company
has induced the United States Sugar
and Land company to establish a re-
fnery at Garden City. in Kansas, and
it will be ready for operation in Octo-
Der, when the farmers will begin to
pull their beets.
railroad corporation is a pretty
good institution after all, notwith-
standing the hue and cry the politicians
sometimes raise against it. Not the
whole of 2 railroad corporations reve-
nues goes to pay dividends, interest and
operating expenses. A function of
properly conducted railroad is to give
substantial aid in tfae development OF
the resources of the country It traver-
ses, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
F'e is performing its duty in that re-
specr in Kansas and Colorado al least.
The United states Sugar and Land
company is the same corporation which
established and is operating the big
factory at Grand Junction, Col. Its
owners are citizens of Colorado Springs,
and they are G. NJ. MacNeill. presidents
R. F. Davie, vice president and general
manager; J. R. McKinnie, treasurer;
O. H. Shoup, secretary, and E H.
Every, assistant manager. Mr. Davie
divides his time between Grand juno
/ ton and Garden City Mr.. Every has
charge of the Garden City office. The
capital of the company is 21z million
dollars. OF this. 100000 Will be invest
ed in the plant, and the remainder will
be the working fund 1t takes money
to run d sugar factory.
The plant VII be constructed of ce
ment, brick and iron. The main factory
will be 273 feet long; the warehouse 255
/ feet: the office So feet-a total length
of about 600 feet, with a uniform width
of SIS feet. In addition, there will be
sheds 700x120 feet. The. plant will have
| a daily capacity of 800 tons and the
/ daily product will be so tons of sugar
The plant will operate about 100 days,
1 beginning in October, and at the close, If
the season he + sod, the total product of
| the plant i. expected to be 20 million
! pounds, or 900 bags. About $50 men
/ will be employed in the construction of
| the plant During the operation Of the
plant 200 men will be employed at an
| avera ge wage of $2.25 q day During
| the growing season these men will find
employment in the bee fields.
The company has contracted with the
| farmers for coo acres of beets this sea-
son. If a farmer knows his business and
/ has his irrigation well estal he'd the
soil # the Arkansas valley Will produce
IS tons Of beets per acre. The expense
| is $3.50 to $500 per acre for seed; 80
cents for planting; $3.50 for punching
and thinning; $500 for second hoeing
$500 for third hoeing; $3.50 for pulling
and topping. This added to the cost of
/ blowing and cultivating, makes the
total cost of producing an acre of sugar
beets from $50 to $33. The company OBJ
tains the seed of the beet growers in
/ Germany and furnishes it to the farm
ers at cost. From Is to 90 pounds to the
acre is planted and the cost Is 10 cents
| a pound. which is paid out of the crop.
The company also does the drilling for
the farmers f desired, taking its pay
out of the crop. The company contracts
to pay IS a ton for the beets. The profit
per acre is, in a fair season, about s42
to S45.
The u. S. sugar and Land company
owns q, 500 acres of land along both
sides of the Arkansas river, east and
west of Garden City This. of course,
Is more than one factory can take care
of, but additional plants will be estab-
1ished from time to time as the growth
Of the annual supply of beets may war
rant Even now a plant is contemplate
ed at Deerfield, Is miles west of Garden
City The company proposes to divide
/ it's lands into tracts of $50 acres and to
improve eacn quarter with a house,
barn. windmills and irrigation laterals.
These improvements will cost $1,000
each. The tracts viii be leased TO far
4ners upon a liberal percentage basis.
Il Forty tracts are now being improved
and tenants will take possession Of them
this spring A stipulation of the lease
+ is that the tenant shall diversity his
crops according to the Judgment of the
company, and the rent shall be one
eight of the beet crop one-third of the
grain. one-eighth of the melon and one
half of the alfalfa. The company IS adj
yertising in the newspapers of the fcoun-
try for farmers to come to the Arkan-
sas valley and settle upon its lands, To
instruct tenants in the art Of beet cui-
ture experts are employed at an ex-
pense Of $4,000 a year.
The company furnishes irrigation VA