OCR Text |
Show o TWO MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR SUGAR BEETS. The sugar industry of Utah is still growing. The crop of sugar beets will be larger than it was last year, and that crop broke all previous records in the state. The sugar beet raiser.-. H arc now looking for men to gather H the ci op. Bfl The increase in acreage last ;car H over 1905, amounted to 15 per cent, H and the acreage for the crop soon to H be gathered has been increased slight- H ly over the previous year. B In Utah there arc 42,000 acres of fl beets this year. Every acre produces H an average of twelve tons of sugar H bectj, so the crop will amount to H 504,000 tons at least. The sugar refin- H cricj arc paying about $4.50 a ton for H the beets, so the farmers will get H $2,26S,ooo for their crops this year. H "We have plenty of beets now to H keep the factories in Utah busy," said H George A. Smith of the Utah Sugar H company. "The refineries arc not Hj being- enlarged on account of the H numerous cost of building and H other circumstances. But the crop H will be a little larger than it was H last year, and the prices of beets will H remain the same." H The Utah Sugar company has two factotics in Utah. One is at Lchi, and the water pumping stations are at H Provo, Springvillc and Spanish Fork. H The other plant is at Garland. Feed Many Hungry Mouths. H The Amalgamated Sugar company H has three refineries in this state. One H is at Ogdcn, another at Logan, and H the third is at Lcwiston. H The sugar factories each employ H about 250 persons inside and about H the same number outside, unload- H ing and doing other work about H the plants. So the factories alnuc H give employment to 2500 people in H Utah. In the sugar beet fields thousands find employment every fall. The big sugar companies owning sugar beet H farms make contracts with the Japan- H esc (o furnish the hand labor from the H time the crop is planted until it is H harvested, and the companies furnish H the teams and wagons. Hj Children Gather Crops. The planting begins in April and H the harvesting is done in September. B "Children on the farms arc better bect-gathcrers than grown persons," H said Mr. Smith. "They are especial- H ly valuable in thinning the beets, for H it is easier for them to bend over and H do the tedious work. The Japanese, H though, arc the best workers in the H beet fields. Sonic of them will thin H an acre of beets a day, working from H daylight until dark." H The. Utah Sugar company has 30,- H 000 acres of beets this season in Ida- H ho, and two factories there. H Running twenty-four hours straight, I the factory at Lchi alone can refine H 3500 tons of beets. H |