Ranche and Range from Yakima, Washington • Page 3

RANCH AND RANGE Vol. 15 No. 35 THE SUGAR BEET FROM THE STANDPOINT OF NATIONAL ECONOMY. By Laurence Gronlund, Author of the Co-operative Commonwealth. I wish to show in this paper that our whole farming class, in a.l the various sections of our country, ought to take a decided interest in the sugarbeet industry, and further that just now this industry offers a peculiarly inviting field to the investment of Capital.

I The area of our country within which the sugar-beet industry can be successfuly carried on is undoubtedly limited; it embraces the Pacific states, parts of Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, lowa and Kansas. Observe, however, that this area by no manner oi means measures the importance of this industry to our people. Igo so far as to assert that the sugar-beet may be made the saviour of our economic independence; it may make the United States the self-sufficing country it ought to uecome. What is the reason ultimate reason for tne deplorably low prices of our agricultural staples that obtained during 1893-96? Why was wheat so cheap? The underlying explanation is that year after year we raise so much wheat that every time we have a surplus that must be disposed of to foreigners. Of these the British are our principal customers for this annually buy from us on an average over fifty million bushels, which, of course, is but a fraction of our whole crop.

The price of this product, we know, is fixed in London, in competition with the wheat produced by the cheap labor of Russia, and particularly India. Now, it is a well-known economic truth that the price fetched by this surplus, is what determines and regulates the price of every bushel produced in our country. In other words, also of that which is sold to our own people and consumed by ourselves. What, under these circumstances, is the remedy for the ruinously low price for this staple? Clearly, the only remedy is to do away with the surplus, if it be possible. Evidently, if our farmers are ever to secure fair prices for their staples, they must in the first place so regulate production that any and all surplus of these commodities be avoided.

Since this is so, would everyone with common sense not suppose, that our farmers, and especially the large and influential farmer organizations of the country, would long ago have directed their attention to this vital point; that they would have conferred together on this subject not once many times, and that in fact they long ago would have reached an agreement in some way or other that would result in making farmers refrain from raising any surplus at all, at aL events of wheat? But whatever may be the reason, our farmers seem incapable of doing anything of the kind. It has been ascertained that we in prosperous years consume 5.66 bushels of wheat per capita, while in years of SEATTLE and SPOKANE, AUGUST 3, 1899. depression the amount is only 4.99 this makes for our whole population a difference of 48 million bushels, or the greatest part of the surplus taken by Great Britain. This important fact should do much toward harmonizing the interests of farmers and city workmen, and should further open the eyes of the former to the change that has taken place during the last generation, to-wit: that agriculture has ceased to be our basic industry, and tha, manufactures even now have assumed that prominent position. The second means which differs from t-e first in being a lasting remedy, is nothing else than the sugar-beet industry.

It will obviate the surplus, say, of wheat, by utilizing beforehand, the acreage which the surplus now requires. 11. The sugar-beet child of the nineteentn century, born of Napoleon's decrees of exclusion of all imports from reached its greatest development in France and Germany. So far the sugar-beet has in our country really been experimented with; yet during these experiments it has already gained a foot-hold, become so to say "naturalized," in Central and Southern California. In 1896 an official document was published by the State of Washington, entitled First Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics, which is especially important for what it tells us of the investigations by the National Department of Agriculture into the adaptation of that state for the raising of sugar beets.

The investigations, conducted in the summer of 1895 and very carefully made, show that Washington is able to produce beets equal to any raised in other sections; indeed, they furnish abundant evidence that the natural advantages of that state for the permanent success of the beet industry are much greater than elsewhere found in our whole country. Thus two of the most important factory requirements of sugar beets are: First, That they must contain at least 12 per cent of sugar, and secondly, that their purity must be at least 80 per cent. Now, according to samples, raised and collected in Washington, there are, out of all the 34 counties in the state but two (in the extreme West) thai fall behind the required 12 per cent of sugar; further, there are but four counties that furnish beets with an average purity below 80. Washington is by the Cascade mountains divided into two distinctive sections, and the following is a comparison between them: Av'ge Av'ge P.C. of Sugar.

Purity. Eastern 15.5 83.8 Western 14.9 83.8 These are better results than are obtained in most of the other states of the Union, where experiments have been made; hence we may conclude that the State of Washington is able to produce beets of a kind greatly to be desired by factories. Of course there are two more data that must be ascertained in order to determine, whether beet-culture is profitable or not, and these are: tonnage yield and cost of production, i. c. the cost of raising the beets.

These data we must estimate from the experience of other states. In Nebraska the cost of production averages $30-S4O per acre; in the same state, and in other states as well, the price paid for beets is $4.00 per ton. Now suppose that Washington farmers can raise 15 tons per acre (believed to be a low estimate) the amount they will receive for beets per acre will be $60, which, when the cost of production, say $40 per acre is deducted, will leave a net profit or $20 per acre which is much more remunerative than 50 bushels per acre of 50 cent wheat. But this is not all; the legislature of the State of Washington has shown its appreciation of the importance of the sugar-beet by granting a state bounty to the farmer of one cent per pound of sugar for the last three years of this century. The beet crop of 1893 in the whole United States yielded an average of 230.7 pounds of sugar to the ton of beets; 15 tons to the acre will give 3,460 pounds of sugar; the state bounty on that amount, of sugar, to-wit, $17.30, added to the net profits, already ascertained, will thus give to the beet-grower $37.30 clear per acre quite respectable revenue.

111. Now we have a topic which will effectually illustrate the change to which we already have alluded: that it is no longer agriculture but manufacturing that constitutes our basic industry, for all the benefits above enumerated as accruing to our farmers are perfectly fruitless and visionary, until we can show that manufacturers and capitalists will find it to their interest to guarantee to the best grower a constant and remunerative demand. What then are the inducements to be offered to these classes? first, there' is the immense market of our country, larger by far than that of any other country. Every man, woman and child here consumes about 67 pounds of sugar annually, so that we absorb every year 2,100,000 tons of sugar, of which amount we as yet produce only one-seventh part. We expend each year more than $125,000,000 on sugar and send 6-7 of that huge sum out of the country great part of it to Germany for beet-sugar.

What a splendid thing will it be when we can keep this vast wealth at home, distributing it among our farmers, manufacturers and their employees. That is what we can do; that is what we ought to do. To enter a little into details: to produce the amount of sugar now imported will require, it is said, 920 factories, with a capacity of 350 tons of beets each, for every working day of 24 hours. Each factory will work up the product of say 2000 acres of sugarbee 920 factories, thus utilizing the product of 1,800,000 acres. The total number of men employed in the factories and in the beet-fields, will represent a population of people.

But many millions of dollars will be required, for each factory will cost anywhere from a quarter to half a million of dollars. But there is sufficient in the above to make the sugar-beet industry a good, sound business venture, of such a nature as to make all classes of our people give it their hasty support our capitalists and farmers, $1.00 Per Year. whose interests here at least happen to be in harmony. By producing our own for which we have all the necessary conditions and material is involved an expenditure on home industries and labor, several times the value of all the wheat exported from our country. Editor Ranch and Sir: In reading Ranch and Range of July 20th we note the article by Aaron Jones on trusts.

This is a mos. interesting article and should, like the Bible, be read and re-read until it is indelibly fixed in our minds. If the voters of the country do not cut loose from party and select wise and good men for office, direful results will surely follow. But let us not wait until better men come in. If each voter would write to his Congressman and Senator that they look to them to remedy this great evil, and if they did not, some one would be put in their place that would, you can rest assured it would be done ere the snow flies again.

NOUTIIWKNTKRN Hri)E FUR CO. W. J. Burdett, Manager, Minneapolis, Minn. WASHINGTON STATE FAIR.

The State Fair Commission has made arrangements for special rates on stock and farm products for exhibit at the Fair, Sept. 25 to 30. The Northern Pacific railway carries live stock for exhibition purposes for $55 per carload from all points within the state, to the fair and return. A rate of one half regular price is made for fruits and vegetables. If the exhibits are spoiled and there has been no money made from selling or trading, the company will refund the freight charges.

Race horses will be carried the same as last year, to and from all courses. Special excursion rates of one fare for round trip will probably be secured, and the cities will have additional inducements of special trains on certain dates. The Seattle Exposition dates having been set for Oct. 2 to 18, there will be an interchange of exhibits and special excursions from both points. This is also true of Spokane which has the Industrial Exposition October 3 to 14.

Several carloads of the Oregon exhibit, from the State Pair at Salem, which closes three days before ihe opening of the Washington Fair, are promised for North Yakima. The poultry exhibit from Western Washington and Oregon promises to be the finest display ever made in the state. Many chinery men will have good exhibits in machinery hall. One implement house has applied for space 100 feet long ana 12 feet wide. There will De several exhibits for the capital prizes of $50, $30 and $20, offered for displays of fruit, made by collectors.

The farm products collections for which prizes of $100, $75 and $50 are offered, will have several contestants from the different counties. Several propositions for music, balloon ascension, theatrical performances and other entertaining features, are under consideration, and the commission intends to see that the people are well treated this year..