Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-05-28
The Beet Sugar Industry

In response to a resolution of in
quiry which passed the Senate April
s, Secretary Wilson has forwarded a
report on the beet-sugar industry in
the United States. This report con-
tains an interesting summary of facts
and figures relating to this industry.
In 1895 there were 6 beet-sugarfac-
tories in operation and one building,
having altogether capacity for size
ing 1000 tons of beets daily. In 1908
there were GA factories with total
capacity of $4,000 tons of beets daily
more than a twelve-fold increase.
From 1898 to 1906 our production
of beet sugar grew from $4,000 tons
TO $4,000, an increase of more than
thirteen-fOld in eight years.
In 1896 41,OOO acres of beets were
harvested; in 1906 $4,000 acres, Or
more than nine times as great an
area.
The price of beets, like prices of
other farm crops, has risen steadily.
In 1896 the factories paid $40 per
ton; now they have to pay 1915.
In 1898 the farmers had $4,000
tons of beets to sell to the factories,
for which they received $l.564, 600.
In 1906, just eight years later, they
had 4,236,0O0 tons of beets to sell
and received for them sol ,604,O
twelve-fold increase in beets and a
fourteen-fold increase in money re,
turns.
The total amount paid out by fac.
tories for beets during the past
twelve years amounts to $l21 100000
The total capital invested in beet
sugar plants in this country is about
$70,OOO,00O, and this does not include
investments made by factory owners
in farm lands, irrigation works, etc.
Among other things the Senate
called on the Secretary of Agriculture
to state how much beet sugar can b.
produced in the United States. Tit
Secretary replies that we have dem
onstrated conditions of soil and eli
mate favorable to beet culture in al
area of at least PA million acres, anC
that it will only take one acre out o.
every 200 of this to produce all thu
> sugar we now import from fOreigl
sources.
He estimates "that if the suga
, beet were grown throughout thOs'
portions of the United States adapte'
by nature and with the aid of irri
: CATION to its culture. with system o
| rotation including the cultivation o
' the beet every fourth year, 10 million
tons of beet sugar could be produces
t in the United States annually, o
n more than the worlds total prOduc
), ton of sugar at the present time"
S 1t appears from this report that tn
e people of European countries have t
q pay a good deal more for their suga
d than We do. For the years 19O+l90
y the average retail price Of lump suga
: in Naples and Milan was 1872 cent
}, per pound, in Amsterdam 9.4 cents
n in Madrid nearly 9 cents, in Stock
n holm ~ cents, in Vienna and Buda
T pest IA cents, in Paris 81 cents, j
S Dresden and Bremen nearly 6 cents
y and in Brussels 81 cents.
u The prices are given for lump suga
: because that is the grade most un
g formly quoted in the European stats
Il ties. This grade appears to be niue
/ more uniformly consumed than graz
y ulated in most countries of Continer
II tai Europe.
el The Brussels Sugar Convention
i which went into effect September
q 1903, caused a radical reduction
the price of sugar in many Europea
It countries. In Belgium the fall Of Ii
# retail price was 81 cents per poun'
l. in the German cities 13 cents and
y Austria-Hungary ~ cents.
p The secretary gives a hattering a
ii count of the progress made in deve
n oping the beet-sugar industry, an
J; takes very cheerful view Of its fl
'e ture prospects. he comedies tha
y some failures occurred among the ca
it lier factories, but shows that the lat,
factories have been quite uniforal
is successful. He says that WHEREIN
Ell factories have been successfully o.