174 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



to 125,000 tons of beets, for which $4.50 per ton will be paid, same as in '98. The drouth 

 of '98 caused only 4000 acres to be harvested out of 6000 contracted, and reduced the yield 

 seriously, the product being 363-1 tons granulated sugar, compared to 5000 tons previous 

 season. 



1898 1897 1896 1895 1894 1.893 1892 



Acres of beets grown 4,000 4,808 3,500 2,400 2,894 1,803 1,594 



Tons of beets produced 36,500 48,773 48,500 27,400 39,800 20,300 15,000 



Av. yield per acre, tons 9.1 10.2 13.9 11.4 13.7 13.7 11.3 



Av. per cent, sugar in cossettes 14. 14.2 13.9 14.1 11.56 15.5 12.53 



The New Union Sugar Company is under the same management as the Alameda 

 Company. Its new mill of 500 tons' capacity, and capable of being doubled and tripled, 

 is located on a fine tract of land in the northern part of Santa Barbara county, four miles 

 south of the line between San Luis Obispo county and six miles from the Pacific ocean. 

 It is situated by a lake 11 miles in circumference, and within a radius of 50 miles are 

 130,000 acres adapted to the crop, traversed by two railways. There is an unlimited sup- 

 ply of water for irrigating purposes. The Union mill is contracting for 8000 acres of beets 

 at $4 for '99. Secretary Coffin writes us in January, '99: "Since August, 

 we have been plowing 50 acres per day with our steam plow tackle, similar 

 to that used by Mr. Lilienthal. We plow from 12 to 15 inches deep. There 

 are about 4000 acres of our own that will thus be plowed. The tract is being plowed and 

 ditched by accurate survey in accordance with an irrigation system which covers the 

 entire tract." 



ELEVEN YEARS OF THE WATSONVILLK FACTORY. 



A picture of the beet sugar mill at Watsonville, California, is given on Page 170, 

 together with its record for the ten years 1888 to '97 inclusive, as originally compiled by 

 the author. Last year (1898) was the worst season known in the state for 40 years, owing 

 to drouth, which caused an unfavorable sugar campaign. Hauling beets to the Watson- 

 ville mill began August 5, closed November 5, '98, with a total of 57,761 tons of beets 

 delivered from 7200 acres, at $4 per ton. Under the ideal conditions of 1896, the 25,000 

 acres contracted for 1898 should have yielded 350,000 tons. 



The table (Page 170) shows a steady development and affords the best data extant 

 for judging of the ups and downs of this industry, from both the farmers' and manufac- 

 turers' standpoint. It will be noted that during these 10 years the yield of beets on 

 nearly 60,000 acres has averaged 11 tons per acre, including good, bad and indifferent sea- 

 sons. The farmers have received from $4 to ?5 per ton, or an average of about $4.50. 

 This has amounted TO from $27 to $68 per acre, averaging $50 per acre. 



The cost of production and delivery of beets to the factory has varied in that 

 vicinity from $20 to $35 per acre, including the labor of the farmer himself or his family 

 and teams, as well as his hired help, all at current prices. It will be seen that while the 

 crop afforded comparatively small profits the first season, once the culture of the 

 crop was fully understood and the industry well established, it proved to be the most 

 profitable staple crop the farmer could raise This one mill has paid $3,000,000 for this 

 new crop and as high as $700,000 in a single year. But for the establishment of the fac- 

 tory in that vicinity this vast sum would not have been paid to these farmers, but would 

 have gone out of the country to pay for imported sugar. 



It required 7 to 12 tons of beets to make one ton of sugar, and the greatest varia- 

 tion was in two succeeding years. This shows the wide fluctuation in quality of beets, 

 due to climatic conditions. The average of 8.9 tons of beets to make one ton of raw 

 sugar, or of 9.8 tons to make one ton of refined sugar, is decidedly better than the best fac- 



