The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-21

ITS A BIG THING.
Kansas Beet Sugar Men Tell OF
Their Achievements.
Three Million Dollars Invested
at Garden City.
THEY WILL EXPAND.
Great Bend to Be Location OF
Another Factory.
Owners Believe i'm Future OF
THEY WILL EXPAND.
Owners Believe in Future oil
Western Kansas.

r. P. Davie, president of the Western
Sugar and Land company, and +. Z.
Sharer. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of the same
company, spent Tuesday in Topeka on
business in connection with their sugar
interests. These gentlemen are behind
the big beet sugar plant at Garden City
in this state, which was started as
branch of the older beet sugar COM
panies in Colorado. Their talk of the
beet sugar industry as 1T Is De1ng pro-
noted in western Kansas was 1ull VI
interesting and surprising things. Ihey
spent the day in Secretary Coburns Oh
Zee in the state house in discussing the
respective merits of alfalfa and sugar
beets with the secretary. -,
There is probably, outside OF the ran
roads, no single industry or investment
in the state of the same proportions as
the beet sugar plant in Garden CITY.
Messrs. Davie and Sharer stated thae
the total investment in that plant hau
now reached three millions OF collars
The mill itself cost a million anu
half besides the reservoir. inc com,
pany own $1,000 acres OF lahu uev 80.
to the raising of sugar beetS ana thelr
hig reservoir occupies 5000 acres OF
land They have subdivided this lana
into small tracts and lease IL TO farm
ers. They imported 12O German ram
| lilies to Finney county from Neofdshd
AT
| this land and these thrifty German
husbandmen are busy today cuitlVatlhe
sugar beets, Of course they can raise
other crops on this land. but they musl
raise beets. The company charge
| rental for the land amounting to one
| seventh of the crop. An average croI
| runs ten to fifteen tons of beets 10 th t
| acre and the company pay 80 per tot
| for these beets. The mill mas ca
| nacity Of one thousand tons of peets pei
| day and a ton of these peets SIeIo GI.e
| eighth of a ton of sugar. This gives
| the nlant a capacity of forty mllllof
pounds of granulatedd sugar per year
| most of which is sold to Kansas deal
ers.
| To Start Industry at Great Benz.
| THE nlant has been in operation tW'
years and has better prospects IN
| year than ever before. The compan!
bes contracted for II, 800 acres of suga
| beets this year and as the GROUND
wet and in good condition they eXPec
a fine crop and a good quanty Oh TN
product If the coming year pears ".
its present promise the company eApeC
| to build a plant at Great Bend ana cul
| tiIate the sugar industry of that sec
zion of the country. The compai
| have spent a, million dollars at Taruel
| City the past year on their rese[N "
and water system and expect great re
| suits. g.
Messrs. Davie and Sharer are mr.
| believers in the future of western Ran
sas and the irrigation projects Mhlc
| have only just been started out the a.
They have bought land there 1or o.
an acre for which they now want 9lN
and have seen land bought IN rhine
| county for 500 per acre ana SOLO II
$40 and they have only been ther
three years. /;
Said Mr.. Davie, speaking of HI
Icompany's past and future: me pee
sugar industry has come to stay. w
have had our vicissitudes and trla
and profited by experience we ea
inject to enlarge our interest IN the ST
gar Industry of this state just as fa'
as we can. The soil and climate al
adapted for the growing of sugs
iheets and the seven fat years Will 10
How those of leanness. Sugar beets al
next to alfalfa the most profitable a
iticle that can be grown in Kansas an
this statemen will be demonstrate
lin time. A successful beet farm'
d oueht to make from s25 to SIS clef
IS profit per acre from his beets.
e quality the Kansas beetsis now ecu
d TO the Colorado beet of last seaso
q But in raising these beets careful al
Intelligent cultivation is required. OF
cannot raise beets and weeds in II
same field. Too much moisture
harvest time is as bad as too muc
drouth any time.
Best Mill in the World.
y It is said that the beet mill at Ga
den city is one of the largest and be
in the world. Certain it is that Il
beet sugar industry has doubled Il
al population of Finney county in rece
at years and that it has placed IN CT
d. culation in western Kansas millions
or I -