Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-28
EXPERTS FORECAST OE SUGAR
CONDITIONS PREDICTS HIGH PRICE

( cane sugar export countries in the
world great deal.
v. S. Beet Sugar.
Besides the additional demand upon
the cane sugar countries of the world
of about l,250,000 tons by England. the
United States will have to make an adj
ditiOnal demand upon cane sugar cOun-
tries for about 100000 tons, or nearly
the equivalent OF the entire beet sugar
crop in America. as the United States
will have practically no beet sugar
crop next year if the European war
continues into the next winter. because
all the beet seed used in the United
States comes from Europe Germany,
France, Belgium, Austria and Russia),
and the prohibition OF exports will very
likely extend to beet seed.
In order to understand this matter
] will put down here what | know on
the subject Of beet seed, collected from
the Hardwick hearings at Washing.
ton. ..-.
The sugar beet is biennial plant,
that is, it takes two years to develop
a beet seed. The first year the sugar
beet is full of sugar, and that is the
time when the beet plant is uprooted
and the sugar manufactured out of it.
The second year the plant goes to seed
and in that process consumes the sugar
in the beet. A great deal of work is
connected with the raising of beet seed
and il takes many years to develop a
good strain OF seed. When the beets
are harvested, all those beets that
have certain physical indications of
richness in sugar are put aside and
tests are made. All those above a GER
tain percentage are kept for mother
beets, planted in the following spring,
and seed grown therefrom. FL
Many attempts lave been made in
the United States to produce our own
beet seed. The only man who has APP
preached success in the beet seed cul- |
tivation was man by the name OF
Morrison at Fairchild, state of Wash |
ington, who worked for some years on !
1t. He had about thousand acres, but |
somebody came along one day and Off |
cred him $4,000 an acre for his land |
TO grow fruit, and he sold it. " |
Beet Seed to be Short.
Up to the time of the Hardwick
bearings beginning of 1922, there
was not one beet seed farm in the
United States All the beet seed used
by the American beet sugar companies
IS imported from Europe, and If the
war continues beyond next winter; it
will be impossible to get an American
beet sugar crop in the fall of 1915, ex.
cept from that amount of beet seed
which was left over from the paintings
IF last spring (19l4) and which would
,e planted in the spring Of 1915. No
me could have foreseen the impossible
ty of obtaining beet seed from Europe
when so many various countries were
aising it, and as modern shipping ia
'ilities were so reliable, no one could
lave thought of obtaining more seed
han was necessary from year to year
Besides, the terminating property of
eed must be decreasing with the age
# the seed, and therefore it must have
zen the desire of beet sugar men to OBJ
ain fresh seed from Europe every year.
The beet seed crop for next spring
vas TO have been harvested in Europe
n September and October of this year,
nd these two months coming probably
nto the heaviest fighting time in the
resent European war, the beet seed
arrest to be harvested by the women
1ill be greatly reduced this fall. Not
My will this years seed crop be. re-
uced, but next years crop will also
e reduced because OF the lack of at
ention which can be given to those
eets to be harvested this year and
rom which the seed in the next year
J to be propagated.
If some OF the beets of the present I