Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-09-22
New Weigh Stations, New Warehouse,
New Barn, New Machinery
ALMA SUGAR COMPANY's PLANT
The Sugar Consumed Daily in this Country Is
B.yond Comprehension

HC Alllld sugar COMPANY VIII De-
gin its season of 1910 with a number
OF important improvements in and
about the plant. Chief among these in
their benefit to the farmers who dis
pose of their sugar-beet crop to the
local factory, are the various new re-
ceiving stations which will be used in
many towns in Gratiot and Isabella
counties for the first time this year.
On the Ann Arbor railroad neat and
tasty weigh stations, fitted up with
new scales and sidetracks, have been
placed at Bannister, Forest Hill, Tay-
lor's Crossing, Brodie Crossing, and
Martha Crossing. On the Grand
Trunk railroad new sidetracks and
stations have been set up at Stoddard's
Crossing, Middleton and Carson City.
At Butternut there is a new station,
but no sidetrack Riverdale and Stan
ton, on the Pere Marquette, are also
now furnished with track and station
The company now has about twenty
FIVE receiving stations scattered at
convenient points throughout Isabella
and Gratiot counties. These stations
are of course of great convenience to
the farmer, as they save him many a
long haul
In the plant itself, new mixer for
the purpose of mixing dry beet pulp
and molasses has been installed. This
will turn out very palatable food
for stock, already mixed. Heretofore
this feed has been sold to the farmer
unmixed; that is, the dry pulp and
molasses were sold separately. The
prepared food is considered great
improvement over the unmixed. 1t
will be known as "molasses dried beet
pulp"
An elevator and fume has been in
stalled in the main building, to take
the pulp to the drier. This work has
up to this year been done by large
screw device, but on account of the
great amount Of power used in oper-
ating it, the hume and elevator has
supplanted it.
Improvements in the way of new
buildings have also been made.
Directly opposite the Office on Grover
avenue rat-andmouse-proof seed
warehouse is now being built. This
will be one-story structure, thirty by
forty feet, constructed of brick, with
a slate roof and cement floor. 1t will
be used exclusively for storing sugar
beet seed. These seeds are obtained
from foreign countries, principally
Germany, early i'll the new year, and
are stored here until used by the
farmers. In former years there has
always been more or less serious loss
on account of rats. However, this
warehouse is built to keep out the
mice. South of the main building, a
stock barn, thirty by sixty feet, with
a ten-foot basement under it, is being
built for the purpose of housing steers
while feeding them on waste materials
from the factory, such as pulp, roots
and leaves. The steers will be brought
from Chicago and fattened on what
heretofore has been refuse. The barn
will accommodate two carloads OF
steers.
The crop outlook Tor this year is
very good The dry weather of some
time ago held up the crop for while.
but il is coming along nicely now The
local company has about the same
acreage contracted for as last year;
that is. seven TO eight thousand acres.
The harvest will commence probably
about the first OF next month, and
from that time until the beginning OF
the new year everything will be busy
about the plant. Farmers generally
seem TO nc figuring on an increased
acreage for next year.
There is plenty of competition IN
this section. as the Owosso Sugar
Company has established weigh sta
ton in this city However. the local
management do not purpose to retail
late by putting in branch at Owosso.
1--WE don't propose to establish sta
tion in Owosso territory. said Super
intendent Allen of the local plant,
when asked as to their plans, FOR the
simple reason that we don't believe
the average farmer is foolish enough
TO send his beets out OF his own home
territory"
Some idea. perhaps, OF the amount
OF work done at the factory in the
short season OF three months can be
gathered from the fact that there are
stored now. ready for use, ten thuo-
sand tons of coke and coal. and two
thousand tons of lime rock. This rock
is used for cleansing the syrup. 1T is
almost impossible to conceive the
amount of sugar that is manufactured
in one season The average amount
turned out each year is twelve million
pounds. 1t seems that this amount
ought to feed good many people, but
il is really only a grain or two in the