176 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



yielded 24,303,000 Ibs. of standard granulated. There were harvested for the mill 9678 

 acres, out of 10,000 contracted. The gross weight of beets delivered by farmers on the 

 Chino ranch to the Chino factory from July 15 to Dec. 20, '97, was 53,624 tons, and the 

 net weight for which they were paid was 50,639 tons. The difference of nearly 3000 tons, 

 or 5.47 per cent., represents the tare, or reduction for weight of dirt on beets, poorly 

 topped beets, etc., as determined by the tare-man appointed by the beet growers' union. 

 These beets averaged 14.9 per cent, sugar and 78.5 purity. The net price received by the 

 farmers average'd $4.23 per net ton, or a total of $210,862. Nearly as much more was paid 

 for some 50,000 tons additional received at the factory from other localities. The bulk of 

 the beets was delivered in September, October and November. 



In 1898, the unprecedented drouth caused the results of the previous campaign to 

 be just about cut in two. The output of sugar was 12,063,782 Ibs. A total of 47,302 tons 

 of beets was consumed, and the percentage of sugar was approximately 13 per cent. The 

 farmers received $192,272 for their beets, for which they were paid a fraction over $4 per 

 ton. For 1899, the Chino factory is contracting for 12,000 acres and hopes to get 150,000 

 tons of beets. Arrangements for irrigation have been made by many growers, so as to 

 be independent of drouths. 



The Los Alamitos Sugar Company has completed its mill, an imperfect sectional 

 view of which, to explain the process of manufacture, is given on Page 37, and a pre- 

 liminary notice on Page 50. For its first campaign of 1897, 2800 acres of beets were har- 

 vested, that yielded 29,542 tons, containing an average of 15.73 per cent, of sugar in the 

 beet, and making a total product of a little over 6,000,000 Ibs. The machinery was in 

 operation 105 days, and the farmers were paid an average of $4.16 per ton. Some of tho 

 beets ran as high as 20 per cent., and the average of nearly 16 is, we believe, one of the 

 highest yet reported for any campaign. The soil in that vicinity is remarkably adapted 

 to the crop, but, like the rest of the state, suffered severely from the unprecedented 

 drouth of '98. For its second campaign, 1898, the Los Alamitos Sugar Company reports: 

 "On account of the severe drouth we did not plant more than 1400 acres. Of this amount 

 we got a stand of about 300 acres, from which we received 3000 tons of beets, which pro- 

 duced 6000 bags of sugar. Under usual normal conditions, we should have planted 7000 

 acres, and from this we should have received about 70,000 tons of beets, which would 

 produce about 14,000,000 Ibs of sugar, so you can see that this year's campaign was quite 

 disastrous to the company. We have made contracts for 1899 to have 8000 acres planted; 

 up to the present time (Dec. 6) have not had any rain, but there is plenty of time yet, 

 and if it comes this month or in January wo are sure to get a good crop." We believe 

 the richest crop of beets on record was worked up at this mill. It was grown in Orange 

 county, and averaged 27 per cent, sugar of 88 purity! 



The Crockett Sugar Refining Company, with a capital of $2,000,000, has an enor- 

 mous plant at Crockett, on San Francisco bay, with a capacity of 350 tons of cane and 1000 

 tons of beets per day. It was started to refine Hawaiian sugar, and during the interim 

 to manufacture beet sugar. It is contracting for 10,000 acres of beets per year and is cul- 

 tivating 1600 acres of beet land itself near the factory. It pays $4 per ton for beets test- 

 ing 15 per cent, sugar, with 25c extra for each additional per cent, of sugar. It draws its 

 supply of beets mainly from Contra Costa, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. It is in 

 charge of experienced sugar people and there is every reason to expect its permanent 

 success. 



THE LATEST MODERN ENTEEPRISE. 



What is said to be the model beet sugar factory of the world is the new plant of the 

 Pacific Sugar Company at the new town of Oxnard, near Hueneme, Ventura county, Cali- 



