FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 19 



that would give to Michigan a prosperity never before witnessed. This 

 would add to the valuation of taxable property so that the State would 

 in a few years receive back into its treasury, in taxes^ four fold for the 

 money paid out as bounty in aid of this young but important industry. 



THE ONE FACTORY AT BAY CITY. 



has, during its first campaign, just closed, worked up between 32,000 

 and 33,000 tons of beets. For these it has paid out to the farmers about 

 $143,000; for per diem labor say |36,000; for materials necessary in oper- 

 ating, something over |20,000; for salaries and other expenses estimated 

 at 130,000 or more. The result of these expenditures during the one 

 year of its operation has had a marked effect upon the various industries 

 in its vicinity and there is a general acknowledgment of increased busi- 

 ness, increased circulation of money, and improved conditions financially. 

 If such a change has been wrought by one year's operation of the one 

 factory, what must be the effect upon the State should twenty factories 

 distributed throughout the State be put to work? 



The pulp from the beets after the juice has been pressed out is a valu- 

 able commodity as food for stock. This pulp mixed with dry fodder, such 

 as corn-stalks, poor quality of hay or of straw cut up, makes a valuable 

 food for cattle that are to be wintered, and when mixed with ground 

 feed, is very valuable for fattening, the albumen of the beet being cooked, 

 becomes nourishing and the acids give rapid digestion, so that all of the 

 nourishment in the coarse fodder for cattle is made available and in case 

 of fattening for beef, it puts on the fat rapidly. 



POSSIBILITIES. 



Hon. Secretary Wilson in his recent address in Detroit, speaking of 

 Michigan having been a great lumber state, said that "If the farmers and 

 business men of this State will turn their attention to making sugar, and 

 dairy products from the beets, the annual income * * * would be 

 greater than the annual receipts from lumber;" "The pulp of the sugar 

 beet will pay for the growing;" "If the farmer will take his load of beets 

 to the factory and bring home a load of pulp for the dairy cow, the 

 money he receives for the sugar (beets) will be clear profit." A test of 

 the value of the pulp may be found in the following. The farmers in a 

 community in California, living near a sugar factory, were selling milk 

 from their dairies to a dealer in Oakland, and all but one were receiving 



the uniform price of nine cents per gallon; that one, Mr. P , received 



ten cents. Frequent inquiries were made of Mr. P by his neigh- 

 bors how it was that he received the extra cent per gallon. After awhile 



Mr, P ran out of beet pulp which he had been feeding to his cows 



and soon be received word from the dealer, "What is the matter with 

 your milk? Can pay you but nine cents, same as the rest;" later the 

 sugar factory started up and a team was sent the next day for pulp; in a 



few days word came, "Mr. P your milk is all right again, can allow 



you ten cents." This testifies that the beet pulp as food for the dairy 

 cow adds 10 per cent to the value of the milk, while others who have 

 tried it say that it adds to the quantity. 



The first week or two after the factory at Bay City started, farmers' 

 teams crowded in with their loads of beets and went away empty, but 



