TEN YEARS OF BEET SUGAR.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 396, 9 February 1899, Page 4

TEN YEARS OF BEET SUGAR.

We present below the first comprehensive statement ever made of the 10 years' record of the beet sugar factory at Watsonville, Cal. It should receive the attention so important a statement deserves. The table shows a steady development and affords the best data extant for judging of the ups and downs of this industry, from both the farmers] and manufacturers' standpoint. It will be noted that during these 10 years the yield of beets on nearly 60,000 acres has averaged 11 tons per acre, including good, bad and indifferent seasons. The farmers have received from 4dols to sdols per ton, or an average of about 3.50d01. This has amounted to from 27d01s to 68dols per acre, averaging 50dols per acre. The oost of production and delivery of beets to the factory has varied in that vicinity from 20dola to 35d01s per acre, including the labour of the farmer himself or his family and teams, as well as bis hired help, all at current prices. It will be seeu that while the crop afforded comparatively small profits the first three seasons, once the culture of the crop was fully understood and the industry well established, it proved to be the most profitable staple crop the farmer could raise. This one mill has paid 3,000,000d01s for this new crop and as high as 700,000d01s in a single year. But for the establishment of the factory in that vicinity this vast sum would not have been paid to these farmers, but would have gone out of the country to pay for imported sugar.

It required from 7 to 12 tons of beets to make one ton of sugar, and Ithe greatest variation was in two succeeding years. This shows the wide fluctuation in quality of beets, due to climate conditions. The average of 8.9 tons of beets to make one of raw sugar, or of 9.8 tons to make one ton of refined sugar, is decidedly better than the best factories in Germany can show during the same eight years. It will be noted that the quantity of raw sugar produced per acre varied from about 1500 to a little over 35001 b during the eight years, averaging 27001 b, with some decrease in the amount of refined sugar. This is just about half the production per acre trom cane on Hawaii. It is interesting to observe also that the price of sugar fell 40 per cent during these 10 years and is to day lower than ever.

Many other facts of interest are shown by the table. The run of 220 days by the factory on the 1894 crop was the longest campaign ever made by any beet sugar mill in the world, but the actual hours run in the '96 caropaigu of 170 days were almost ;as many, w hen the factory sliced Bn average of nearly 1100 tons of beets per day of 24 heurs, from which 136 tons of sugar were made daily. This season (1898) was the first really bad year, but it was the worst season in California for 40 years, so is not likely to be repeated. Hauling beets to the factory began Aug 25, finished Nov 5 ; about 7500 acres were harvested and 57,761 tons of beets delivered at 4dols per ton. P. VV. Morse, manager of the agricultural department, writes us: "The yield per acre was very poor, due to insufficient rainfalls last winter. If we had been favoured with the ideal conditions of 1896 we should have harvested 350,000, tons of beets from 25,000 acres contracted. The drouth was severe on the farmers, yet taught a needed lesson in compelling attention to the necessity of irrigation in our valleys that have a semi-arid climate. The drouth also forced an unwelcome fallow npon the lands of many farmers, which, however, is not an unmixed evil, as amoDg other minor benefits farmers will be partly compensated by an increased yield next year. For 1899 we shall pay 4.50d01s per ton of 20001 b for beeta. With sufficient rainfall thia winter, we shall have between 40,000 and 45,000 acres planted. Under favourab'e circumstances this should insure full campaigns for both the Salinas and Watsonville factories."