$ ©per? Igettei'^. ^ 



The Best Sug-ar Industry. 



Sir, — The time is not far distant when the 

 consumption of sugar in the United States 

 and Canada will reach 5,000,000 net tons. 

 The per capita consumption in the United 

 States in 1897 was So pounds. By 1925 the 

 population of these two great English speak- 

 ing communities will be not less that 130, 

 000,0<X). If the per capita consumption is 

 85 |)ound8 the total amount consumed will be 

 5,575,000 tons, at an average price of 3 cents 

 per pound or $60 per ton the value will be 

 $334,500,000. At the present time we do not 

 produce in the two countries 10 per cent, of 

 the sugar consumed. We can produce all of 

 it from beats alone. The market already ex- 

 ists. It is but to be developed, the demand 

 ever increasing, is as permanent as human 

 existence upon this earth. 



Shall we continue to import 90 per cent of 

 our supply. Is it wise for any intelligent 

 community to be dependent upon foreigners 

 for a prime necessary of huniin life, when 

 ordinary skill can produce it at home at a 

 large profit. A sane child will answer this 

 ijuestion in the negative with a big no. Sugar 

 (refined granulated) has been made at Rome 

 very successfully from beets and will be made 

 this coming fall. The soil and climate of On- 

 tario, south of Toronto, Guelph and Goderich 

 is far better adapted for the production of the 

 Sugar beet than in the vicinity of Rome. 

 Frosts continue later in the spring and come 

 earlier in the fall at Rome, than in the section 

 of Canada named al)ove. Twelve and one- 

 half tons of beets per acre is an average crop 

 on a large scale. They are worth net at fac- 

 tory in cash $4 per ton or $50 per acre. An 

 acre of beets should produce 3,000 pounds of 

 sugar. The product at that price gives the beet 

 grower and the sugar refiner a good profit, 

 and the consumer, cheap, pure, refined sugar. 

 If the raw sugar is produced in Germany, 

 Java, Cuba or Brazil, the consumer in Amer- 

 ica must pay freight, and charge upon it to 

 the point of consumption in addition to cost 

 of production. If it is produced in the State 

 or country in which he resides, cost of trans- 

 portation is small. Ontario has the land, the 

 capital and the skill to produce sugar from 

 beets, and a home market at present for not 

 less than 350,000,000 pounds which now costs 

 the consumer not less than §20,000,000 an- 

 nually. 



Our fruit canning and preserving industry 

 is in its infancy. Cheap sugar will promote 

 development. 



In your climate sugar is a good fuel for the 

 production of heat in the human animal. It 

 can be produced at a fair profit at 3 cents per 

 pound in Ontario. 



Land upon which beets have been grown is 



in prime condition for other farm crops. The 

 Government of Ontario should promote this 

 great and valuable industry. 



The average value of one acre of beets well 

 cultivated, is as much ais the average value of 

 four acres of wheat or barley. 



I have given the question much study the 

 pa3t six years, and may, if your readers desire 

 it, write further upon the subject. y 



Francis Wayland Glen. 

 Brooklyn, May 14, 189S. 



New Fruits Wanted. 



Sir, — For the past thirty years those who 

 undertake to originate new varieties of fruits 

 have been trying to produce a first-class 

 strawberry that would ripen very early be- 

 cause very early fruit commanded a high 

 price. The refrigerator car has made it im- 

 possible for growers of strawberries in this 

 vicinity to secure an extra price for very 

 early berries. We begin to receive them 

 from Florida and Louisiana March 1st, and 

 then later from Georgia and Tenessee, and 

 later still from Virgin'aand Maryland, and by 

 June 1st when they come in from New 

 Jersey and Long Island the price is low. It 

 is surprising how many strawberries can be 

 sold in this market at 25 cents a quart retail. 

 We have in greater New York, Jersey City 

 and Newark, say, 8,<>00 grocery-men who 

 sell green fruits. If they sell only \2k 

 quarts each per day this total sale is 100,00<J 

 quarts at .$25,<J00. In addition is the retail 

 fruit dealers, hotels and eating houses who 

 buy direct from the wholesale dealers and be- 

 side there are thousands of men who hawk 

 them through the residential streets from 

 house to house. From five to ten such 

 dealers call at our house every day with all 

 kinds of vegetables. After the local growers 

 sent in the greater part of their crop the 

 prices go up from day to day until prime 

 berries command large prices. The weather 

 is very hot and the appetite for acid fruits is 

 very strong. At 15 cents per quart this sale 

 of prime strawberries in July in this market 

 would b3 enormous. A good late strawberry, 

 the later the better, would be a moaey-getter. 

 They can be sent here in refrigerator cars 

 from Outario, Quebec, New Brunswick and 

 Nova Scotia cheaper and in less time than 

 from Georgia or Virginia Twenty car-loads 

 per day containing 10,000 quarts each would 

 not glut this market in July. 



The man who first originates a prime late 

 strawberry that will bear transportation will 

 reap a liberal reward. 



Francis Wayland Glek. 



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