The Lamar register., 1916-03-01
500 SUGAR FACTORIES
Would Require This Number to Pro-
duce all of the Sugar Consumed
in America

manner by which they are operated
and their output of product, be it raw
or finished material. Perhaps it may
be safe to say that no other industry
has developed so rapidly and to such
large proportions, since it's beginning
as has the growing of sugar beets
among the farmers of the different
states and in which the states of Mich
igan, Wisconsin and Minnesota share
quite favorably.
The first sugar factory in this coun-
try was established at Alvarado, Cali
fornia, in 1869. This factory has been
running every year but one, and it
may well be considered the pioneer
factory of the country. Today sugar
beet factories are being operated in
about 20 states, and all are meeting
with good success. 1t appears that the
state of Michigan and portions of
Wisconsin, by virtue of their soil and
climate as well as temper Of the peo-
pie, are peculiarly adapted to the
growing of the sugar crop profitably.
The possibilities for development Of
beet sugar making in these two states
are as yet practically unlimited.
Many stretches of fertile land now
considered as of little or no value;
lands as lie contiguous TO the rolling
cut-over lands, copper and iron mines;
lands at the present day as yet un-
drained and such other lands as will in
due course of time be reclaimed aand
made fertile, all will be fitted to the
growing of root crops and sugar beets
Of good quality. Root crops will find
ready place as a member in the sys-
TEN of rotation Of crops, so necessary
to maintain high state of fertility in
the soil. Of the root crops, the sugar
beet is the cash crop, and as yet the
demand exceeds the supply.
The sugar beet industry, because of
its infancy as yet, has much room for
expansion. The grower will find a
ready market for his product in this
case, and he needs fear no competition
as to the price he receives per ton.
The price is agreed to in the contract
long before the sugar beet is planted,
so the grower knows absolutely what
he gets for his crop per ton when
grown. Sugar is a staple article of
food, and is usually used very liber-
ally by the people of the United
States, and before all the people will
be sufficiently supplied with the neces-
sary quantity of sugar, it will take
in the neighborhood of 500 sugar beet
factories and they would have to be
operated to their full capacity each
year.
The thrift and energy of the Bel
Rians if applied 10 the raising of sug-
ar beets in many parts of the United
States would create an adequate sug-
ar supply for this country, make us
independent of foreign sugar and per
haps put the sugar trust out of bus
mess. The sugar beet industry ought
to be encouraged because sugar is not
only one of the great essentials of our
food supply, but because the sugar
beet is a great soil enricher. 1t would
be a fine thing if some of the starving
Belgians could be colonized in some
of the fifteen sugar growing states.
They know all about the industry and
they could begin life anew and create
immense wealth in a business that
would be familiar and to their liking.
DR.. Henry J. Waters, president of
the Kansas State Agricultural col
lege and leading agricultural au-
thority, in a recent address suggested
some thoughts about the sugar beet
business that are worth attention.
While we have seemingly prospered
by our great export business, DIR. Wat
ers showed that it has been at the ex-
pense of our fundamental wealth; that
we have been selling our coal, iron,
timber, cotton, etc, abroad and buying
it back with the maximum labor cost
added. He cited that previous to the
of war we We're selling about
$500, 900, 900 worth of goods to Ger
many, mostly raw materials, repre-
senting a minimum amount of labor, |
while Germany has been selling them
right back to us with a maximum la
Dor added to a minimum of our ma
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