(23) 



of this fact there has been comparatively little done in the 

 line of manufacture. I have not thought it necessary to 

 cite the variety of seed used in the several cases, nor the 

 character of soil and cultivation employed. 



MANUFACTURE OF BEET SUGAR. 



The history of the efforts to make sugar profitably from 

 the beet in this country can be very easily told. The fol- 

 lowing are the principal experiments in that direction : 



David L. Child, of Northampton, Mass., made 1,300 lbs. 

 of sugar from beets grown on his own farm in 1838. Yield, 

 13 tons of beets per acre, at a cost of $42. 



In 1853 Gennert Bros., from Germany, started a beet far'^i 

 of 2,400 acres, at Cliatsworth, Ills. The land ''analyzed 

 well," yet failed to yield satisfactory results. Drought, poor 

 seed, floods, &c., also militated against them, and in 1870 

 they removed to Freeport, Ills., and, if I am not mistaken, 

 have but lately closed their factor}", having produced 200,- 

 000 lbs. of sugar in 1870, at a reasonable profit. 



In 1867 a company was formed in Wisconsin, at Fond du 

 Lac, under the lead of Messrs. Bonesteel and Otto,l)ut on n 

 small scale, the works having a limited capacity. They 

 have recently consolidated with a California compan}' which 

 is still working successfully in that State. 



In 1870 a co-operative company of farmers started a smal'J 

 factory, and were quite successful, at Black Hawk, Wiscon- 

 sin. A deficiency in their water-supply seems to have been 

 their greatest drawback. 



The largest and most successful experiment was institu- 

 ted in California. In 1860 Mr. Speckman made an attempt 

 at beet culture near San Francisco. The soil was not suit- 

 able and he abandoned the enterprise. In 1869 Mr. Went- 

 worth instituted another experiment at Alvarado, and suc- 

 ceeded in extracting from his beets several hundred pounds 



