Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-28
SUGAR Is ABOUT ALL MADE
Campaign Of Grand Island Factory One Of
Longest in Its HistOFJ,
MOST or THE BETS SHIPPED IN BY RAIL
Unless more Are RAISED I'm Vicinity Of
Factory Fears Are Expressed ~
VIII he DIsmantIed
Ultimately.


GRAND ISLAND, Neb., Jan. T.-(spe-
clal. THE longest run in the history OF
the local plant Of the American Beet Sugar
company is about to draw to a close The
factory has now been In operation on
the 1906 crop OF beets Of 1s1 days, while
the average run will not be much over
100 days. over 5000 acres of beets were
contracted for and the tonnage and quality
OF beets has been good-above the aver
age. fine product of sugar is being
turned out, and, especially considering all
of the disadvantages the management has
been under, the campaign" has been
very favorable one. The factory uses car
loads upon carloads OF coal, coke, lime
rock, etc, besides having to haul most
OF the beets by rail. With the condition
Of traf1c, the railroads having not been
able TO foresee and prepare for the immense
increase in this section, there has been
little of a shutdown, night OF day, in the
process OF making sugar. Two hunderd
men. one-haif each for a day and night
shift of twelve hours each have been en-
ployed in the direct beet campaign, not
including the force necessary in the earlier
osmose campaign OF working over syrups,
and about $4,000 in wages have been paid.
About $780, 900 will have been paid out for
ing IS per ton. fiat for all beets contain
ing u per cent of sugar or over. The
average tonnage In the Grand Island terri
tory win be nearly eleven.
Something like LOO acres Of the 5000 have
been raised In Grand Island territory. by
which is meant within a radius OF thirty
miles from the factory. The rest have been
raised from Rearney west and some in
the Republican valley. In the outside sec
tion better results are generally secured.
II is sald.s on account Of the fact that by
irrigation moisture can be more readily
applied Just when needed.
However, successful as has been the cam
paign, both for the factory and the beet
raiser there is some question whether the
future is just as bright as the result this
year would indicate
The directors OF the company have de
cided that for the ensuing year the con-
tracts with the farmers shall be on the
sugar test basis. Instead OF paying a fiat
price of S per ton for all beets testing
from 12 per cent or over. $ win be paid
for beets testing IS per cent. $3.50 for al
testing from 149 to i3 per cent and 81 for
all beets testing less than 10 per cent OF
sugar content. Years ago such contracts
we're in force. They almost Invariably
caused dissatisfaction, Farmers. rightly
or wrongly, found fault with the testing
They are privileged to make their own
test by their own chemist, in the factory
with free use of the factorys laboratory
but that did not seem to I'LL the bill com.
pletely. Whether there will be mate
rial reduction In the acreage for next year
on this account yet remains TO be seen
Some of the old and steady beet raisers
are taking up the contracts without much
dissent. But these are experienced men
some Of them Germans who were ac.
quAinted with the Intensive nature of tho
culture in the old country and know how
and are willing to do intensive farming
Others are using Japanese labor.
On the other handy the company hold
out. not without some good reason. tina
the fiat scale is unbusinesslike and has
as its tendency, tonnage instead Of quality
careless culture instead OF the best eul
ture and Decentralization instead OF tina
degree in which the beet thrives best and
does best for its intended use. The fac
tory OF Norfolk was dlsmantled severa
years ago. The machinery in the loca
plant the first to be built in Nebraska
has been used, the greater part of 1t, fo
seventeen years. In inside circles Their,
is some question particularly II the per
centage OF acreage should continue to b,
less in the immediate vicinity of the fac
tory, IL new machinery will ever be in
stalled and II the factory has many NOR,
years to run.
Tho Institution is an excellent one an,
every effort will be made to keep Il fl
operation. And that II will be for anothe
year or two at least is certain by reason
of the fact that contracts are being en-
tered into for 1907. The result OF tn
change in the contract. the correspondent
proportion OF acreage with Its freight ques
ton and the success OF the next campaign
will, however, be watched with somewha
more anxious interest than heretofore.