THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



173 



looked cleaner and brighter than before. 

 I found that the cause for the improve- 

 ment was that two weeks previous Presi- 

 dant Diaz paid a visit to Monterey, and 

 sometime before Gov. Reyes of the state 

 of Xueva Leon, of which Monterey is the 

 capital city, issued an order to the effect 

 that every house and fence must be painted 

 in honor of the Presi&e it's proposed visit. 

 So it was done and done completely, even 

 if the people had to borrow the where- 

 with-all to do it with. Fancy such an 

 order in the United States! * * * * 

 All of the citizens of Monterey, regardless 

 of nationality, take a two hours siesta 

 after dinner and the consequence is that 

 business is paralyzed for that length of 

 time." 



THE UBIQUITOUS BEET. 



The beet sugar industry in the United 

 States is now one of the recognized sources 

 of revenue to the farmer, and the facto- 

 ries that are being erected to produce 

 beet sugar attest the fact that the sugar 

 beet is no longer a "fad'' indulged in by a 

 few experimentalists, but a moneymaking 

 crop to the practical farmer. Indeed, so 

 well satisfied have people become as to the 

 possibilities of this crop that the experi- 

 ment stations of almost every state have 

 devoted considerable time and expense to 

 the raising of the sugar beet and have 

 embodied the results of their investiga- 

 tions in the bulletins which are sent out 

 from time to time. So much has been ac- 

 complished in this way that there are few 

 farmers now who are ignorant cf the pos- 

 sibilities of this vegetable. Whether it- 

 pays to raise sugar beets depends almost 

 entirely upon the proximity of the factory 

 to which the product may be sold, as they 

 can be raised in almost every stats. As 

 Mr. Herbert Myrick says in his book on 

 "The American Sugar Industry." "Xo 

 one state has a monopoly of the beet sugar 

 industry. Some Nebraska farmers have 

 an idea that the business will be confined 

 to their state because it has two factories 

 in successful op3ration." The fallacy of 

 this idea is proved by reading the book. 



Of an industry of such magnitude as 

 this promises to be. it may be interesting 

 to trace the growth from small begin- 



nings. This, thanks to Mr. Myrick. we 

 are able to do. It is only in very recent 

 years that we have heard very much re- 

 garding the sugar beets in this country, 

 and it will doubtless bs news to many to 

 learn that an attempt to produce sugar 

 from beets was made as early as 

 1830. In that year the attempt was 

 made at Philadelphia but was not a suc- 

 cess. Eight years later. David L. Child, 

 of Northampton. Mass., was more success- 

 ful, obtaining 6 p c r cent of sugar from 

 beets. Experiments were made with more 

 or less favorable results in different sec- 

 tions of the country from that time on, 

 and in 1863 the Gennert Brothers. Ger- 

 mans, started a sugar beet factory in Illi- 

 nois, at Chatsworth. The location was 

 against it. to begin with, and other disad- 

 vantages conspired to render the enter- 

 prise a failure. The plant was moved 

 from Illinois to Wisconsin, from where, 

 after another discouragement, it was 

 taken to California. 



The chief cause of the failures in the 

 factories was due to the lack of interest 

 on the part of the farmers: they did not 

 realize the possibilities of the crop and so 

 it was difficult for the factories to obtain 

 beets and those that were produced were 

 of an inferior quality. 



From this era of discouragement was 

 evolved the present great industry, which 

 is increasing from year to year: and the 

 history which Myrick gives is interesting 

 to anyone and is not the least attractive 

 feature of the work. 



California was the first state in which a 

 sugar beet factory met with success, and 

 the pioneers in this line were E. H. Dyer 

 and his son Edward, who were persistent 

 in their efforts at Alvarado. where the 

 first successful factcfry was established. 

 It was years, however, before this suc- 

 cess was attained. In 1880 the journal 

 devoted to the beet sugar industry, known 

 as The Sugar Beet was founded by Lewis 

 Ware: an omen of the success of the vege- 

 table, for when an enterprise has gained 

 a sufficient foothold to warrant its having 

 a journalistic "organ." it is in a fair way 

 to succeed . 



After tracing the failures and successes 

 of the early pioneers. Mr. Myrick de 



