GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN CALIFORNIA. 5 
factory opened again for one year in 1880. About this time a new 
company was formed, which increased the capacity to 100 tons daily, 
but in 1886 the factory was partially destroyed by fire and the enter- 
prise failed. In 1887 and 1888 the factory was rebuilt and sold to 
the Alameda Sugar Co. The plant was subsequently enlarged in 
1890. This factory in 1916 had a daily slicing capacity of 800 tons. 
(See fig. 2.) | 
Other attempts to establish the beet-sugar industry were made at 
Brighton and Isleton, but these met with no success. In 1888 a plant 
was built at Watsonville with a 300-ton capacity. This was soon en- 
larged to 1,000 tons, but was later dismantled. In 1898 the Spreckels 
plant was erected at Spreckels, Cal., with a 3,000-ton capacity. This 
Fic. 3.—A modern beet-sugar factory in the Oxnard area. This factory has a daily 
slicing capacity of 3,000 tons of sugar beets. 
factory has become the largest in the United States, and in 1916 
sliced an average of 4,500 tons daily. 
At the close of the 1890 slicing season there were only three fac- 
tories in the United States, two in California and one in Nebraska. 
Following is a list of the beet-sugar factories now in California: 
Location. nen Capacity. Location. pater Capacity. 
Tons. Tons. 
URDAL ACO ee er ree sia cto tte. oni | 1870 BOON Viselianee sae ctetacleuiecm we". s 1906 400 
“EAA oo ee eee | 1891 LOO) ||| Saute Aten ale sete nterniee\atelaeiselotsiela 2 1908 600 
BIOS ANAM COB! cio res niriseie' = 21 - | 1897 BOO) ||) Corcoramye-seeekteres- aa adore 1908 600 
OU ENE Le See aie ie OB este eee aed bel el 3,000 || Huntington Beach........- Pesci 1911 1, 200 
NEC REID soe pane sia tele ss vials « 1899 ABDOO)||| AMAMOMe sees te ae sisetteb ale sine 1911 850 
MSEPLOLAVIG Es aces eeaaenie see 1899 TAOOO) ||). Diy ete sae eaciep emia shen s selec. 1912 1, 200 
Hamilton City.....- Petes: .-| 1906 700 
During 1915-1916 two of these plants (Corcoran and Hamilton 
City) were not operating. 
