The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1910-08-31
ACETATE SUGAR
BEET FACTORY HERE
EXPERIMENTS PROVE WALLowA
BETTER THAN UNION FOR
RAISING eEETs.

The past two years have evidently
established the fact that sugar beets
can be successfully grown In this vi
cinity and many other parts of the
county Comparisons with the yields
in this county and Union county are
decidedly in favor of Wallowa coun-
ty. 1t is stated on good authority
that there will he several hundred
.cres of land in this valley this year
hat will produce as much as % tons
% the acre. The comparisons be-
tween the yields in the two coun-
les also establishes the fact that to
be successfully grown beets must be
lgated. A few fields in this coun-
y have not TUNED out as we'll as
anticipated but the sugar company
ldm'5 that they were unable, to
aare for them as they should.
Farmers are evidently becoming
more and more interested in the
culture of bees and 1t is hoped
hat this interest will increase un-
Ill it is possible for the sugar COM
1any to secure sufficient guarantees
If acreage to warrant the erection
Of factory in this county. While
t is not known the exact acreage
md The mature of the contracts that
would be required to guarantee the
erection of a factory no doubt this
information will be forthcoming
ihould the farmers or Commercial
;lub epimce enough interest to make
he inquiry.
In the past the farmers have been
willing to rent their ground for a
el'Sain stipulated price per acre for
he growing of beets but few have
undertaken the raising of the crop
On their own responsibility. Ten
dollars per acre rent has looked
)e.ter to them than the prospect of
l profit on beets at $3.50 per ton.
One farmer in discussing the mat
Ter last week said "If the farmer
could raise the beets and ride on
horseback, the sugar company might
induce them to take up the culture.
but this back-breaking thinning,
wedding and topping of beets by
hand don't look good to many of us.
Another thing that keeps the farm
9rs from contracting to raise beets
Is that the idea has gone forth that
The sugar company should be willing
20 pay more for them. One of the
aompeny officials made the state-
ment that ton of beets will produce
about 800 pounds of sugar. We do
not know just what they sell the SUI
gar for at wholesale but suppose
1t is around five cents per pound,
thus giving the sugar company
gross return of $50 per ton. There
Is quite a difference between $3.50
and SIS ton and we farmers think
that some of the SIS should be.
added to the $3.50. / understand that
IN some other states the price of
oeets is considerable more than is
paid here. Some places the price
depends upon the per cent of sugar
shown in the bee,s by analysis. If
the Enterprise Commercial club
would take up a campaign for the
location of a factory in this county
think it will find the task an easy
one If they can induce the sugar
company TO guarantee a better price
tor the beets at the factory.
"Of course in the fields where 10
10 20 tons are raised to the acre
The showing of profit is highly sat
bsfactory, but we do not figure that
S.ch bumper clo.~ Ill always pre-
vail, and If they should there is no
reason why we should not partici-
pate further in the reputed enor-
nous profits maze by the refining
company, If that report is correct"
So far as can be learned there
has been no deiinMe action taken
by efsher the Commercial club. the
farmers or the sugar company to
encourage the building OF a factory