THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10359, 14 May 1895, Page 6

THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.

TO THB EDITOB.

Sir, —Herewith I send you two articles cut from the Melbourne Argus of April 13 and 17 referring to the above subject, whi'-h I ask you to kindly give space for. 'And although I have often troubled you with letters on the same question, I would how ask the favour to add to what I have previously written on the matter, as * after .reading this report of Mr Sinclair's (whom we must assume to _c an authority) I find that we have far more country in Otago mere suitable as to soil and climate than any pare of Victoria for .sugar beet culture than I was aware of when I last wrote on the subject, as prior to that I had only seen a part of the Maniototo Plains and from Alexandra up to the lakes, but since then I have travelled from Gore up the Waimea Plain and crossed it up to Nokomai, the Otago Central to Naseby, thence to Hyde and Middlemarch, and from Oamaru up to Duntroon aud Kurow, seeing the Waitaki Valley. Now, all thafc country is far superior to any place he refers to in Victoria as Buifcable for beet culture, and I feel satisfied that it would be a wise.step fco urge on fche Government to get him over here to examine and report on fche same, knowing that the result would be soon thereafter the settlement of a space of country mosfc suitable fco be the happy homes of more than half a million of healthy and prosperous people, as results would be obtained quicker than by vine culture. But there is no reason why in.suitable places beta, could not bs well attended to, as also dairying. I know that many of your readers who know Bacchus Marsh will agree wifch me thafc if 4-0 tonß per acre can be grown there, most of the country I have named here will produce from 60 to 80 tons per acre of sugar beets. Profits I leave your readers to cipher oufc for themselves from prices quoted by Mr Sinclair as given in California and Utah (and that I gave you about two years ago as being obtained in Caithness, Scotland)—lßs per ton, the palp returned for cow feed. The quantity per acre I forget, but; the net result was, I remember, £13 10s per ton to the farmer. Now, the.whole of the country I have mentioned is blessed with water in abundance, with fall sufficient to be diverted anywhere if irrigation is necessary, as I believe it would be in Central Otago, and ifc_ is now, comparatively speaking, a wilderness, overrun by rabbits, thistles, and a few sheep, with a squatter's station aboufc six or 10 mile 3 apart, fche few miners along ihe river beaches almost afraid to look, fearing to be accused of trespassing. I shall have to stop, as I fear taking up too much of your space ; bufc let m_ say that I hope this letter may result in inducing those gentlemen who are now taking ah interest in the introduction of the vine into Central Otago that they will also try the sugar beet there, as if they inquire they will find any soil or climate good for fruit culture also equally good for sugar beets. Hoping you and I may be spared to see as many sugar factories here as there are now flour mills,—l am, fee, May 13. W. D. Sutherland.

The following are fche extracts referred to :— A lengthy report on the sugar beet industry in the United States has beeu received from Mr James Sinclair, who is visiting America on behalf of the Government. He states that there are a number of successful sugar beet factories in operation in that country, aud he gives a detailed description of two of the largest of them, one at Chino, in Southern California, where the climate and rainfall is similar to a great portion of Victoria, and the other at Lehi, near Salt Lake City, in Utah, where great success has attended sugar beet production in dry arid soil with the aid of irrigation. The history of tbo sugar beet industry in that country, he said, had been marked byseveral cases of failure, and it was well to bear this in mind in making an effort to establish the industry in Victoria. The greatest care and caution would have to be exercised, ho Btated, so that errors of judgment or lack of knowledge might noc mar, if not wreck the industry in its infancy. There was a danger in reading about the success of sugar beet growing and its manufacture in other countries, and in rushing into the building of factories without having a perfect knowledge of the absolute suitability of a locality to produce the sugar beet to supply them with raw material to work upon. Many portions of a country may be eminently suitable for the production of heavy and regular yields of root crops, such as mangels or potatoes, and yes not suitable for producing the sugar beet to perfection. Iv many parts of tbe United States this had been found to ba the case, and a great deal of money might have been saved and the industry, further advanced it" more care and attention had been given to careful experiment. An attempt was made to establish the industry in America as far back as IS3O, but it resulted in failure owing to bad management and lack of practical knowledge. Later attempts failed through bad cultivation, deluging rains, and droughts, and it is only ■within the last few years that the industry had been successfully established. Mr Sinclair fully described the system of cultivating the beet and the manufacture of the sugar, and stated that the farmers not only found it profitable to grow beet, but thoy got back a supply

of chips — i.e., the residue pulp after the sugar is extracted—for assisting in the fattening of their cattle. If the cultivation of beet was largely undertaken in Victoria, be remarked that our dairy farmers would bave a new and excellent cattle feed provided for them. At Watsonville the farmers got a crop averaging from 13 to 14 tons per acre, for which they received 14s 7d per ton The soil at Chino was a light loam, but a little further on it became a dark sandy loam, and bore a striking resemblance to the loams of-the Goulburn Valley around Mooroopna and Wunghnu, and the timber land near Rochester. In Victoria there was, he said, thousands of acres of land similar to that used in the United States for the growth of sngar beet, not oaly at the places stated above, but alomj the Broken river atßenalla. and at Kinnypaniel, in tbe Korongyale district. The sugar beet required a warm friable soil,, and it was not necessary that it ' should be specially rich. It would not do so well however, where there was a strong clay underlying a loam at a depth of a few inches, the beet in this class of soil throwing out a great many lateral roots. The success attending sugar beet culture with irrigation in Utah indicated what might also be accomplished in the same way at Mildura. In the opinion of Mr Sinclair the rich sandy loams at Mildura and elsewhere along the Murray were capable of producing sugar beet equal in quality to Utah, and Mildura was moreover in possession of a much more favourable climate. Tbe higher percentage of sugar in the Chino beets over those of Lehi was simply the result of its warmer climate. He suggested that a trial should be made at Mildura and other places along the Murray where rich friable loamy soils existed. Sugar "beet cultivation was the most interesting and profitable a<-ri-cultural industry heisaw in the United States, and as far an he could perceive there was no reason why Victoria should send away annually thousands, of pounds for the purchase of sugar when it could be grown and manufactured in the colony. He concluded by sugsestin** that as was done in the United States, the Victorian Government should -distribute small packets of seed to farmers to experiment with, giving them instructions how to cultivate and harvest the beet. Samples of the crop could be forwarded to the Agricultural department for analysis and the suitably of the different districts for the culture of sugar beets could then be determined, and extensive cultivation would follow.

Baccos Marsh, Wednesday—Mr A. N. Pearson tne Government agricultural chemist, accompanied by Mr 6. Van de Veldte, paid a visit of inspection to-day to the field of sugar beet which Messrs Pearce Brothers are growing for the department. Both gentlemen expressed, their surprise and iileasure at tbe appearance of the crop, the cultivation of which was perfect. The gross yield was, estimated at 40 tons to the acre, and from tests made the percentage of sugar is expected to be very high. Mr T. Cain (president of the Bacons Marsh Agricultural and Pastoral Society), Mr F. Howe (secretary), and other prominent members of the society were present. a

Ten gas companies had in 1865 a monopoly of the lighting of Paris. — It has been estimated that 40 new words are added annually to the American slang vocabulary, five or six of which survive several years, and one or two become incorporated into the dictionaries; It; is a singular fact that most* of these words never enter Canada; — Cigarette-maker's cramp, so well-known in the tobacco manufactories cf 'SDain, has recently made its appearance in the' French State factories. Ifc is preceded by a dull pain, which is now and then acute. The Spanish women employed in making cigarettes use their hands merely, the French women use machines.

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Continued from page S.

HIGH SCHOOLS BOAED,

The monthly meeting of Governors of fche Otago High Schools waa held on the 2nd. inst., and attended by the-Very* Rev. Dean Fitchett (chairman), * the. Mayor (Mr H. S. Fish), Messrs G. G. Russell, H. Clark, J. R. Sinclair, and J. Allen, M.H.R. ~ THE BOARD'S FINANCES. • The committee, consisting, of Messrs Russell, Fish, and Allen, who had been appointed at the previous meeting to consider, (1) returns of stationery money, for year 1894-, (2) the board's annual. income and expenditure, and (3) a suggestion from the rector, of the boys' school that two gas stoves be obtained for the rector's and masters' rooms in place of the grates which are at present in use and are burnt through, submitted the following report:— -, Your committee, having carefully considered the various matters referred to them, have the honour to report that, deducting the arrears of revenue due at the 31st December 1894, the estimated receipts and expenditure for. the year ending the 3lst December 1895 are as under :— - INCOME.'' -.' '[ Boys' school fees... ' ... ... . ; . £1559 10 0 Girls'school fees... ... ,„ ... * 1137 14 6 Girls'boarding fees ... „. ... 308 0 0 Rents from endowments ... ... .2604 16 1 Interest on land purchases 99 13 C Grant from school commissioners ... 294 0 0 ■ Balance ... ... .3413 2 .■£.o6- 7 3. EXPENDITURE. .7 Boys'school salaries ...£2566 0 0 Girls'school salaries ... ISO 215 4 -fi-'SSS 16' 0 Office salaries ..--.'■ ... ... ..; 180 0 0, Office rent... ... , ... 10 00' Girls'boarding establishment „. 390 15 6 Boys' boarding establishmeht ... 65 0 0 Janitors'salaries.:. ... ... ... 140 0 0 Fuel and light for schools ... ... 75 0 0 Advertising, printing, and stationery 102 10 * 0 Repairs and furnishing... ... ... ..0 0 0 Sundries and incidentals 50 h 0 Insurance premiums ... ... ... 27 8 9 Interest* .... 30217 0 Water rates . 134 0 0 Legal expenses IX 0 0 Laboratory requisites ... ... ... 5 0 0 S rizeS T. v. - —• — '••• SO 0 0 Gray Russell scholarship ... .„ 40"• 0 0 Telephone exchange ... ... ... 11 0 0 Stamps ... . ... ... ... .... 25 0 0 Contingencies ... „, „, ... 50 0 0 '.'''-. . ' £6068 7 3

Your committee have assumed that the attendance at tbe two schools will during the* rest of ' the year approximate to the first quarter's, and have based their estimate of fees receivable on such assumption. The rents from endowments are estimated at '£2604 16s Id, the amount now standing in the books. The arrears of revenue at 31st December 1894 amounted to _SS3S 3s 9d, including an amount of £161 12s due by the school commissioners on account of secondary education reserve rents. Though these arrears at the end of 1895 may be less, your committee are of opinion that in forming an estimate of annual income and expenditure they should not be considered.

The estimate shows a debit balance of £34 13s 2d, and to rectify this your committee recommend the board to resume control of the stationery money as from the Ist January 1535 (prior to the formation of the board and up to the present time 10s for each scholar per annum has been paid to the rectors to provide stationery for the schools); that a further statement of expenditure out of the stationery fund be asked for from the rectors for the whole period during which it has been in existence, with the balance in hand, and that the balances in hand be refunded to tbe board; that the rectors be asked to provide a schedule of the various kinds of stationery required during the year, and the approximate quantity of each kind, as a guide to tenderers, tenders to be asked for by the* board for the supply of stationery to the schools and office as per schedule, goods to be obtained on requisition to the office oh the authority of the chairman.

Your committee also recommend the following reductions in expenditure:—That the salary of the secretary be reduced by the sum of £50 per annum; that the amount spent on* advertising, printing and stationery, repairs and furnishing, sundries and incidentals, and contingencies, which last year amounted to £252105, be reduced by £50; that the telephones be discontinued from September 30,1595, thus saving £11 per annumq that economy should be practised in the consuznp. tion of fuel.

Summarised, the reductions proposed are :— Saving in stationery £100 Secretary's salary ... _ ... ... 50 Incidentals ... ... 50 Telephones ... ... ... ... 11 Total £211 The revised estimate of income and expenditure for the year ending December 31, 1595, will bs :— Income as estimated, £6033 14s Id ;. refund of balances of stationery money for year ending December 31, LS94, £39 7s lid;—total, £6073 2s. Expenditure. £Got*S 7s 3d, less proposed reduction of i? 211, £5557 7s 3d ; credit balance at the cud of the year, £21514s 3d. (Note.—The credit balance would not tbis year amount to £215 14s 9d, as some of tbe reductions could not now be made for the whole year.) Your committee recommend that two gas stoves be substituted for the grates at the Boys' High School, as asked for by the rector.' The report was adopted, and it was agreed that the changes recommended should take effect at once, bufc the question of substituting stoves for grates was referred to the mayor. THE LATE MS WILLIAMS. The Chairman submitted the fqjlowing minute:—" The board records its sense of the loss suffered by the Echools in fche death of Mr W. B. Williams, who, during 14 years past, has been one of the mosfc efficient and most esteemed members of the teaching staff. The board directs that, as an expression of condolence, a copy of this minute be forwarded to Mrs Williams." The minute was unanimously adopted.