FARMERS' INSTITUTES. ' 13 



REPORT OF THE ROUND-UP INSTITUTE, OWOSSO, MICH- 

 IGAN, FEBRUARY 24-27. 



The meeting. was called to order in the Owosso armory on Tuesday 

 morning by President A. L, Chandler, of the Shiawassee County Insti- 

 tute Society. In his introductory remarks he referred to the great value 

 of the Farmers' Institutes in bringing the people together to discuss 

 topics that are of interest to all, and spoke of the prejudice that form- 

 erly existed against the institutes, but which has now almost entirely 

 passed away. He extended a hearty welcome to all visitors and prom- 

 ised that the people of Owosso would do all in their power to make their 

 stay in town a pleasant one. 



The general subject for discussion on Tuesday forenoon was the sugar 

 beet industry and the relations between the grower and the factory. 

 The first topic considered was: 



FACTS AND FIGURES REGARDING BEET SUGAR MANUFAC- 

 TURE. 



BY P. R. HATHAWAY^ ALMA, MICHIGAN. 



(Abstract. ) 



During the last five years more than twenty sugar factories have 

 been erected in Michigan, which are backed by an average capital of half 

 a million dollars. The law requires that four dollars and fifty cents 

 shall be paid for each ton of beets that shows 12 per cent of sugar 

 and thirty-three and one-third cents for each additional per cent. The 

 managers of the factory have each year sent out their canvassers and 

 have endeavored to secure a suflScient acreage to provide beets for a 

 run of a hundred days. As a rule, they have failed to secure this, although, 

 as was the case this year when the Caro factory secured 65,000 tons, 

 this limit is occasionally reached. The average for the six hundred 

 ton factories has not been more than 35,000 tons annually. Were it 

 so that the factories could secure a sufficient quantity of beets to allow 

 them to run one hundred days at their full capacity they could afiford to 

 pay a somewhat larger price, but $4.50 per ton for 12 per cent beets 

 is all that can be paid under present circumstances. That this is the 

 case will be seen from the following figures which have been taken 

 from the books of the Alma factory and which are a fair average for 

 the other factories this season. They are based upon a 600 ton factory 



