BEET SUGAR.

Waikato Times, Volume 2656, Issue 2656, 20 July 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

BEET SUGAR.

In connection with the recent startling riso in the price of sugar the following will bo of interest. Perhaps it may induce some of our farmers to give attention to the question of the capabilities of New Zealand as a sugar beet growing country. The extract is from a report of an interview between a reporter of the Sydney Bulletin and Mr Claus Spreckles, who has recently gone in for manufacturing sugar and growing beet in Philadelphia. " lie says : —"Some of the land around Watsonville last year paid the farmers who raised sugar beets as high as oodols. an acre. I've got the money now to put tliis through and will see that it goes. Beot sugar making has bten tried here before, but the people diuu't know how to manage it. In the Sacramento scheme several years ago soiuo GOO,OO0dul". was lost. Away back in ISG6 I studied up this plan, but I did not havo the money then to put in and take any chance3 —I did not care to risk about 350,000d015. Now I know sugar can be made here from beets. I was sure of it before. I spent 450,000d015. in getting the machinery foi the Watsonville factory. We made 1600 tons of sugar there last season, and wa could have made 4000 if we had had the beets. This coming seasou we expect to turn out fully 4000 tons at the Watsonville factory. We are going to put up ten factories in California like that at Watsonville, only double the capacity, as soon as we can. We have formed a company —the Occidental Beet Sugar Company—with 5,000, OOOdols. capital stock. My son John aud I have taken half the stock. Last season I gave out seed all over California, and farmers sent me samples of their beets. I had these all tested, and the result is that I have now a map which shows mc exactly where the beets that yield the most saccharine matter grow the best. To pay, beets should average abcufc 14 per cent saccharine matter. Some of those about Watsonville last year ran as high as 24 per cent. We expect to get offers of land from different points on which to build our factories. We have uot yet decided on any locations, but will take the matter up when I get back from the East. We will try and have one more factory equipped and ready for work next year. These factories will cost about 600,000d01s each. A portion of the machinery that cannot be had here we will get from Germany, but most of the machinery will be made here. Each hctory will be able to turn out 300 tons of raw sugar in 24 hours, and in time will make fully 10,000 tons for the season. We will have to employ about 150 men at each factory. Large "factories are better than small ones, for abeut the same labour is required to turn out 50 tous as 800. The factories will be kept running about five months of the year. Last season's experiments with seed showed that much less seed is required here than in Germany. The rule there is 18lbs of seed to the acre. We find that 3ilbs. here is plenty. The reason for this difference is that in Germany much of the seed sown, owing to cold or drought or. other causes, does not take root. Here it all grows readily, and fhis makes a great saving in seed and labour."