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Beet Sugar in the United States. 



Manufacture of Beet Sugar in the United States. 



The manufacture of sugar from beetroot in the United 

 States, as an industry of any importance, is of comparatively 

 recent origin. Experiments in this direction were started as 

 far back as 1830, but they met with no success until about 

 1870, when the first Californian factory was erected at 

 Alvarado. In 1879 there were four factories in operation: 

 two in California, one in Maine, and one in Delaware. 

 According to the census of 1880 the total capital invested in 

 these four factories was £76,000, the number of men em- 

 ployed was 350, and the production was valued at nearly 

 £60,000. 



In 1890 no particulars were collected at the census, as only 

 two factories (both in California) were working. It has been 

 calculated that the output of beet sugar in 1889 was l ess 

 than 2 per cent, of the total cane and beet sugar of domestic 

 manufacture. 



During the last decade the progress of the industry has 

 been rapid. The number of factories had increased to nine 

 in 1897, with an output of 40,000 tons of sugar, or about 12 

 per cent, of the total amount of sugar produced, while the 

 census of 1900 shows that there were in the previous year 31 

 factories in the United States, representing an invested 

 capital of nearly £4,375,000 and producing 71,000 tons of 

 beet sugar. By the following year six more factories had 

 been established, the 37 having a nominal daily capacity of 

 close upon 20,000 tons of beet, and capable of manufacturing 

 over 200,000 tons of sugar annually. 



The chief centres of the industry are California and 

 Michigan, its development in the latter being very recent. 

 The States with factories in 1900 are as follows : Michigan, 

 10; California, 8 ; Utah, 4; Colorado, Nebraska, and New 

 York, 3 each ; and Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, 

 Oregon, and Washington, 1 each. Although Michigan has 

 now the greatest number of factories, those in California 

 would appear to be larger, for they have together a nominal 

 capacity twice as great as those of the more eastern State. 



The acreage of beets actually contracted for in 1899 was 



