BEET FARMING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 72, 18 December 1917, Page 8

BEET FARMING

I. SUPPLIES HALF THE. WORLD'S SUGAR

INDUSTRY IN VICTORIA

As far back as tie year 1890 the Melbourne "Age", induced the Government of; Victoria to make a beginning towards tho establishment of sugarbeet growing. After three years, of discouragement by administrative waote and inefficiency tho young industry (says that journal in a recent iesiie), has at length turned tho corner 1u success, and the Government beet sugar factory at Maffra is one of the very Few State undertakings that has diown a profit on last year's workings. It is now impossible to epostion tho fact that sugar-beot farming is a profitable undertaking for which the land' and climate of Victoria are peculiarly suited. But so far wo have only played at the industry. A year's production of sugar in tho Commonwealth totals up to 800,000 tons, of which - only a little over 3000 tons is tho product of Victorian beets. The history of the beet-sugar industry in Europe and ■America is worth studying as an indication of the scopo fhafr thero may be •in Victoria for the development cf the industry. The countries of the \vorld

where it is impossible to grow sugar cane actually supply half the v.orld's Sugar consumption by beet 'arming. About 1760 the Berlin apothecary, Marggraff, obtained in his laboratory, by means of alcohol, 6.2 per cent, of sugar from a white variety of beet, and 4.5 per cent. From a red variety. 'At the present day, thanks to tLo careful etudy of many years,' the improvements of cultivation, the careful selection of seed and suitable manuring,' the average beet worked up contains 7 per cent, of fibre and 93 per cant, of juice, Sjai yields up to 12.79 per cent, of its weight in sugar. Roughly speaking, one ton of beetroot may.be considered ■fo-day as of the same value as cue ton of canes; the value of the refuse chips in one case as food for cattle, being put against the refuse megass, as fuel, in the others. The 'first beet-sugar factory was established in Silesia in 1801., The processes used were at first very imperfect, but the extraordinary increase in the price of sugar on the Continent caused by the Napoleonic policy gave an impetus to the indus■tn,, and beetroot factories were established at many centres both ;n Germany and France. Under the bounty system by_ which tho countries of ' Europe .stimulated the beet jugar industry, the production of sugar was encouraged and pushed far beyond the limits it could have reached vithout Statp aid. The present world's pro.duotion of sugar is variously estimated at from 15,000,000. tons to 18,000,000 tons, a year, and although there is some measure of disagreement among authorities as to tiio exact figures, it would appear that moreHhan half that quantity is from beet. The figures given By Robertson Scoit, the English authority on sugar-beet production, aro as follow:—

Tons. Cane 8,464,5011 Beet .....8,582,220 Other estimates, which give a much larger total for the production of cane sugar, will generally bo found to include an estimate of the amount of cane sugar grown and used by natives in India and elsewhere, but which does not como on to the world's market. Such estimates must of course be pure guesswork at tlie best. Save for about 500,000 tons produced in tho United States, and a much smaller quantity in Canada, practically, all the sugarbeet farming is confined to Europe. The following table shows the quantity produced in the various countries:— ■:.-; ■ ■'■ ■ ■• Tons. Germany 2,007,780 Austria-Hungary 1,376,501 Russia' .: 1,131.840 ■Franco 811,970 Belgium 246.051 •Holland 196,841 .■'.ltaly 114.168 .Denmark .....: 63,973 'An'interesting; comparison is suggested by the fact that Belgium, with an area of 11,373 square miles, produces 246,061 tone of beet sugar, and Victoria, with ah.area of 87,884 square miles, produces 3000 tons. It is an importaut point ...that in Europ'a, over a period of 100 years, the large acreage required for beet production has not lessened the yields of grain and other crops. On the contrary, a large increase, fcoth in total yield and in the average yield per acre, has resulted.- A considerable portion of this increase is credited to the effects of beet culture, i ivhich, to quote an American authority, : "has become such an indispensable part of European agriculture that it would be continued, in consideration of the indirect returns, even if there were no direct profits from the sale of beets." ■ The , cano sugarJndustry has for the most part been built up by cheap coloured labour, but beet farming has been a prosperous rural industry in central and northern Europe. ' it is also an important point for Victorian farmers that in addition to its annual market value the beet crop may be made to play an important part in the economy of-systematic rotation, especi-

ally where dairying, pig breeding, and fodder production tre concentrated en a small farm. The total cost of growing one acre of beets works out on en average at from £7 to £8. One sere should, in an ordinary year, yield 12 tons, and at the present price that the Government is able to par growers would return as much as £15. Nor must it be forgotten that the profits of beet production do not begin unci end at the sugar factory. As a factor in-enhancing farm values, and as a factor in etock fattening, the sugar beet outclasses the great majority of iont crops. On this point we may quote the manager of the Union Sugar Compnnv of ftiiith California, n venture which controls 10,700 acres devoted to the production of su»ar beet. He has stated: "More cuttle nre prasscrl imd fattened on the beet pulo and other bvproducts than were fed in the whole district before the- In ml was tnken fer suorar "rowing. On recount of the <l"«p and thorough cultivation thnt. has bwn introduced, nnd which is iiidisnonpaMe in beet growing, the yields of cereals, as rotation crops, have been increased all the way from 25 iit> to 60 ner cpnt. over lyhai it was before the best oroo onme into the district. The beet lands have risen in value from Pl 5 to £30, ami even io £40 per acre."