8 BULLETIN 473, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ■ 



2,000 tons, and one of 4,000 tons. The last is said to be the largest 

 beet-sugar factory in the world, and produces daily from 400 to 

 500 tons of sugar. 



The report of the census in 1909 shows a total of 31 factories in 

 1899, 51 in 1904, and 68 in 1909. Of these factories, 1 was idle 

 in 1899 and 3 in 1909. These factories had a daily slicing capacity 

 of 19,110 tons of beets in 1899, 35,900 in 1904, and 52,750 in 1909. 

 This represents an increase of 119.4 per cent in number of factories 

 and 176.1 per cent in capacity. The people employed numbered 

 2,321 in 1899, 4,726 in 1904, and 8,389 in 1909, an increase since 1899 

 of 261.4 per cent. Of the number employed in 1909, 108 were women 

 and 6 were boys under 16 years of age. The number employed dur- 

 ing different months of the year ranged from 2,206 in February to 

 16,807 in November. The capital invested in the industry increased 

 from $20,141,719 in 1899 to $55,923,459 in 1904, and to $129,628,938 

 in 1909. The quantity of beets used increased from 794,658 tons 

 in 1899 to 3,965,356 in 1909, the sugar produced increased from 

 81,729 tons to 501,682, and the value of the sugar produced increased 

 from $7,222,581 to $45,937,629. The percentage of increase in 1909 

 over 1899 was: Factories, 93.3 per cent; employees, 216.6; capital, 

 543.6; value added by manufacture, less cost of materials, 727.6; 

 beets used, 399; sugar produced, 513.8; and value of sugar pro- 

 duced, 536. 



Beets for factory use are obtained from two sources — those grown 

 on land owned or controlled by the owners of factories and those 

 grown by independent farmers. The factories planted 17.2 per cent 

 of the area under beets in 1899 and 11.4 in 1909. The factories pro- 

 duced 14.9 per cent of the beets in 1899 and 10.8 in 1909. Better 

 results were obtained by the independent farmers in both years than 

 by the factories. The percentage of area of beets planted by the 

 factories for each year was greater than the percentage of beets 

 produced. In 1909 the Pacific Coast group of States contained 20.7 

 per cent of the area of beets planted and produced 22.7 per cent of 

 the beets. The Rocky Mountain group contained 47.8 per cent of the 

 area of beets planted and produced 51.4 per cent of the beets. The 

 Great Lakes group contained 31.5 per cent of the area of beets planted 

 and produced 25.9 per cent of the beets. The beets grown in the 

 Pacific coast group of States had a sugar content of 18 per cent 

 of the weight of the beets in 1909, as against 15.1 per cent for the 

 Rocky Mountain group and 16.6 per cent for the Great Lakes group. 



Considerable improvement is shown in both quality of beets pro- 

 duced and in the method of sugar extraction since 1901. The per- 

 centage of sugar extraction for the United States during the five- 

 year period 1901-1905 was 76.6 per cent, as against 81.5 per cent for 

 the five years 1911-1915. The sugar content for these two periods 



