Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 35, Number 270, Decatur, Adams County, 15 November 1937 — Page 16

PAGE EIGHT

Fertilizer Plant Assists Beet Grower:

Beet Sugar Industry Has Colorful History Since Its 1747 Origin Extraction Os Sugar From Beets Discovered In Germany — Received Great Impetus From Napoleon — Lapsed After Waterloo — Began To Thrive In U. S. In 1870

By Or. J. Arthur Brock ,(Educational Secretary of the Farmers * Manufacturers Beet Sugar Association I The story of the growth of the heet sugar industry constitutes one of the most interesting chapters tn the industrial history of tint World. The extraction of sugar from beets dates back to 174", when Andreas Marggraf. a Prussian chemist and physicist in the Roval AcSdWfty of Science and Literstn re us Berlin, discovered the ex IrtSJtc*' of sugar in the beet root and demonstrated that sugar, possessing identical chemical and physical properties with that of sugar obtained from sugar cane, could be extracted therefrom. In this connection it is well to note that Jules Helot, an eminent French authority, ar.' numerous other.Wi iters credit Oliver de Serres, the great French agronomist, witji having been the first to discover that the beet root contained sugar. A careful examination, however, of de Serres’ reports covering his experiments with the beet root, fails to reveal any evidence in support of this contention. Oliver de Serres never claimed that he had discovered the existence of sugar in the beet root. The mere fact that he wrote: “The beet root, when being boiled, yields a juice similar in appearance to syrup of sugar" cannot be properly construed as evidence that he actually recognized the presence of sugar in the beet root. Had No Attention Unfortunately Marggraf’s discovery attracted very little attention and was regarded for many years as being merely a laboratory determination of littlj practical value'. In 1754. Franz Carl Achard. son of a French refugee in Prussia, who had been a pupil of Marggraf and later his successor in the Koyal Academy of Science and Literature, obtained financial aid from Frederick the Great, with which he resumed the laboratory researches commenced by Marg graf and undertook to improve the methods employed in sugar beet culture. The next year. Achard presented Frederick the Great with a quantity of sugar, which had been extracted from sugar beets in an experimental plant, and announced that he had inverted a process for extracting sugar from the beet root on a larger scale than evetbefore. Although the French Institute made an attempt to test Achard's methods in two factories, which were erected at St. Ouen and Chelles. France, they concluded Aat the cost of extracting sugar from the beet root, commercially, would be prohibitive. In other quarters. Achard's claims met with incredulity and no little ridicule. Fortunately. Frederick William 111. who succeeded Frederick the Great as king of Prussia, took a keen interest in Achard’s endeavor* and. after having convinced himself that Achard's methods were basically sound, provided Achard with funds for the erection of the first real beet sugar factory in the world at Cunern. in Silesia, where the extraction of sugar from the beet root, on a commercial

Mash Feeds Are Mixed In This Machine JLi | 1 X t >/ SHL 4 Mfrkjßw By a continuous process ingredients in proper proportion are conveyed to this machine which mixes them thoroughly and sends them forward for sacking. It handles 800 bags hourly.

scale, was begun 1802. Aided By King Immediately following the erection of the factory at Cunern. the king supplied money tor the construction of other beet sugar factories in Brandenburg. Silesia, and Pomerania. In the meantime Jules Delessert, who had established a factory at Passy. near Paris, in ISOL abandoned the venture and devoted his attention to experimenting with a method of clarifying the juice which he believed was an improvement over Achard's method. In ISOS. Delessert resumed the operation of the factory at Passy, France, and after many fruitless efforts achieved a remarkable success. Early in March. 1811. the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry submitted a report to Napoleon of the Society's findings, after making a study of the possibility of establishing a beet sugar industry in France, and exhibited samples of beet sugar. On March 25. of that year. Napoleon issued the famous decree which resulted in the establishment of the French beet sugar industry. This decree directed that 79.040 acres of land in the various departments of the empire be devoted to sugar beet culture within a period of not more than two years. In addition the decree prohibited the further importation of sugar from the Indies after January 1. 1813. and appropriated one million francs for the establishment of six experimental schools, in which pupils could be instructed in beet sugar factory operation, and provided for courses of lectures, for land owners and farmers, on subjects pertaining to sugar beet culture. In 1812. Napoleon, after receiving a report from Chaptai. his Minister of the Interior, on the success being achieved by Jules Dedessert, made his noteworthy visit to Passy and ordered Delessert to construct ten new beet sugar factories as quickly as possible. Built 334 Plants As a result of the various decrees issued by Napoleon three hundred and thirty-four beet sugar factories were erected in France during the years 1812 and 1813. In Germany. Achard and others continued their endeavors to promote the industry, being encouraged by the king of Prussia who, in addition to providing financial aid for the construction of factories. established a sugar school in January. 1812. This and the model beet sugar factory which was operated in conjunction with the school drew students from all parts of continental Europe who, in turn, were instrumental in bringing forth the later development of the beet sugar industry throughout the countries of Europe. With the defeat of Nanoleon. disaster came upon the beet sugar Industry of France and but one of the beet sugar factories survived. Under the reign of Louis Phillipe. however, the industry was reestablished and in 1836-37 there were five hundred and forty-two beet sugar factories in operation in France. Industry Lapsed The industry in Germany was practically destroyed, following the lifting of the continental blockend it was not revived until

Making Little Ones Out Os Big Ones I if HMI r * ■’ < . ? ... This odd looking equipment cracks soybeans. It is in this operation that whole beans are broken into small pieces preparatory to extraction of the soy oil. —

after 1835 when its promotion was undertaken by Krause, of Austria, and Schubarth. of Prussia. By 1854 the beet sugar industry had become re-established through out continental Europe, and in that year the production of beet sugar equalled the tonnage of sugar imported from foreign countries. Due to laws that were enacted by the various European countries for the encouragement and protection of the beet sugar industry, the industry made rapid progress and within a comparatively short time the countries of Europe were able to export beet sugar in large quantities. France held the lead in the production of beet sugar until 1880 when it was surpassed by Germany, the latter having maintained its supremacy ever since. At the present time the beet sugar factories in Germany. France. Austria. Hungary. Poland. Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria Rumania. Jugoslavia. Belgium. Holland, Italy Spain. Russia. Switzerland. Denmark. Sweden. England. Scotland and Ireland, produce approximately 9.500.000 short tous of beet sugar annually. Suffered Set-Back While the beet sugar industry is one of the foremost industries in the United States today, the early 1 stages of its growth and development were marked by numerous failures and reverses, practically all of which were attributable to one or more of the following reasons: lack of practical experience on the part of the factory operators; the location of factories in areas unsuited for sugar beet growing; and an apathy on the part of farmers in certahi districts toward sugar beet culture. The first effort to establish the beet sugar industry in the United . States was made in 1830, in which year Vaugh and Ronaldson con structed a factory in Philadelphia This venture proved unsuccessful and no further attempts were mad? to establish the industry in . Pennsylvania. Eight years later David Lee Child erected a factory at Northampton. Massachusetts, but after producing 1.300 pounds of sugar he abandoned the enterprise. Finally Found Favor In JB3B, the Committee of Agriculture, which was under the i United States Commission of Pat- . ents at that time, made a report | saying, among other things, that “From all the information which 1 the committee have been able to | obtain, they are induced to believe that no country in the world is better adapted for the production of sugar beets than most parts of the United States, whether we consider the soil, the climate or the people." In 1851. John Taylor, who afterwards succeeded Brigham Young as President of the Mormon i Church, made an unsuccessful attempt to establish the beet sugar industry in Utah. The next serious attempt to establish the beet sugar industry in the United States was made in 1863. when Gennert BroiueTi J erected a factory at Chatsworth, Illinois. A.ter - struggling aioag for six years, the factoiy was removed to Freeport, Illinois, where it survived only one year. Later, the factory was removed to Black Hawk. Wisconsin, where it was finally abandoned after a part of the machinery was removed to California. Started In Wisconsin lu 1866. Otto u..u : erected a factory at Fond dn Lac. Wisconsin, and achieved some ' measure of success. Three years iater E. H. Dyer and C. S. Hutchinson organized a company in California and induced Otto and Bonesteel to move their factory to Alvarado, California, where they i began operations in 1870, thus ■ establishing, the first successful beet sugar factory in the United States and the real beginning of ica. While attempts were made to

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1937

Sacking 7 p* * j r .1 A ■ Sparkling Crystal Whit’ sugar being sacked in 10 pound bags fob home consumption. the beet sugar industry in Amerestablish factories in New Jersey. Delaware, Maine and Maryland, these ventures proved to be failures. In 1888 Claus Spreckels erected the second successful factory in the United States at Watsonville, California. The first impetus given the beet sugar industry, as a practical commercial enterprise in the United States, dates from 1888.: when the Oxnard Brothers became i interested in the Industry and erected a factory at Grand Island. Nebraska. This factory began operations in 1890. In 1891 the Oxnards built two more factores, one at Norfolk. Nebraska, and one at 1 Chino. California. At the same time. Thomas E. Cutler and his associates constructed a factory it Lehi, Utah. Eastern Plants The establishment of the beet sugar Industry in eastern United States began in 1898 when Thomas I Cranage. N. B Bradley, E Y. Williams. E. Wilson Cressey and others organized the Michigan Sugar Company at Bay City. Michigan. This company combined with the Bav City Sugar Company in 1903 and was known as the Bay CityMichigan Sugar Company. This ! company was iater absorbed by what is now known ‘as the MichiI gan Sugar Company. From 1896 to 1901, forty-one ugar factories were erected in the United States, seventeen of which failed later. During the next thirty years the industry made a more or less steady progress, with the result that at the present time there are 100 beet sugar factories in the United States, and over 1,000.000 acres of land are devoted annually to the production of sugar beets, from which approximately twentyfive per cent of all the sugar consumed annually by the people of iko United States is extracted.

Meals For The Chickens I ! r S US iLJa }■■■ If nf W w MSI w wiv z j * At the right are shown part of the automatic bagging equipment where sacks of Master Mix Mash Concentrates are filled. In the foreground are a few bags of poultry concentrates passing from the scales [ to the sewing machines.

DRIED BEET PULP HEIPS CATTLE FEED Digestibility Greatly Improved With Healthier Growth From Pulp More careful planning is necessary to make money feeding cattle than in feeding any oilier livestock. This must be carefully followed from the very start until the cattle’ are sold From the experiences of livestock feeders who have consisI tently made money, we learn that | this is the only plan which has been successful. Os course, a good selection of feeding cattle is very important. A feeder must consider the quality of beef he can raise as well as the actual poundage of his livestock. If he is to insure a profit for himself. In order to make the most profit, the feeder must be able to make the biggest daily gain, most profitable gain and then have a finish off of fat cattle that will sell at a premium or higher price. Much has been said about feeding supplements and the part they play in making gains and finishing. Soybean oil meal fortified with proper minerals has been found to make rapid gains comparable to cottonseed or linseed oil tneal feeding. Molasses is another supplement used extensively while in the western states beet pulp is widely used to accomplish rapid, healthy gains. Helps Digestion Dried beet pulp, however, is of more value than ordinary beet pulp. It is a light, bulky and loosely held-together feed that is digested easily with practically no loss. When fed with rich, nutritious, solid feeds, beet pulp loosens the entire ration and cattle digest It readily. Master Mixing Feeds has all of these ingredients together with 30% molasses. It can be fed with absolutely no waste as there is no filler used in making it. This feed I is made at McMillen Feed Mills from ingredients obtained at ths . Central Sugar and Central Soya plants. Attention has been attracted to I the feeding of higher protein ra ■ tions to get the most rapid gains . but feeders and well-known auth- ■ orities agree that lower protein will I make bigger gains. In fact in some . tests more rapid gains were made • by feeding molasses than was ac- - complished where a 43% supple- ' ment was fed. This shows that the most Im- . portant factor is keeping up feed ■ consumption which can best be ! done through maintaining palatabillty. Master Mixing Feed has 30% I molasses to insure palatability, it , i will not cake and is not sticky, - i thereby making it easy to feed in ■. winter as in summer. J „ Train Os Freight Cars i 150 Miles Long Needed ? I For Sugar Co. Supplies In reviewing the amount of ma--3 terlals which have been used by J the Central Sugar Co. during the past five years and considering the s car load shipments from the plant 6 during the same period, figures ‘ show that a total of 16,886 freight a 9 cars would be required. 0 If all of these cars were coupled y into a single train, the railroads r > would be hard pressed to find sufficient power to move It. Statisticians f estimated that the train would be 150 miles long.

Almost The First Step In Sugar Making Occurs || Hl HR S l w Mil ul * 111 Sixteen large tanks comprise this "battery". In them sliced beets are soaked in hot »-i rr ■Ln? the sugar. From them the sugar solution is carried through varied processes to be

SOY INDUSTRY NOT MATTER OF ACCIDENT Farmers And Agriculturists With Vision Are Due For Thanks The soybean industry didn't just happen. It represents years of study, struggle, disappointment and huge financial losses. It moved forward despite the jibes of doubters, some of whom have suddenly become glib advocaters. painting rosy, distorted word pictures of the future. Who built the soybean Industry? Certainly not promoters. It was . built by farmers with visions of a new cash crop . . by bright minded, government and college research experts of iron determination ... by businessmen — processors — who risked and sometimes lost fortunes in buying crops and selling the converted products. Today these processors have mills strategically located as to raw material, markets, and transportation. Ninety per cent of the soybeans processed go into livestock feed, the high merit of which has been proved repeatedly by ex-, periment station tests. Farmers in .the soybean belt have capacity to consume the meal of much larger crops. Thus future soybean crops —at least the great volume that goes into meal—may conceivably be consumed right in the area of | production. Procesto-s have kept ahead of i the crops. Their mills at key points I today have total crushing capacity double that so far required. Few products in history have so oulckly attained scientific handling. In th# laboratories new products have been evolved: new markets have been created, and pew sales forces employed to break down walls of opposition In highly competitive fields. Step by step the soybean Industry advances, slowly but inevitably. . (National Soybean Processors AsI sociation.) CONCENTRATE FOR STARTER Master Mix 32% Used With Farm Grown Grains For Chicks To meet the needs of ponltryII men who desire to prepare their 11 own starting and growing ration. McMillen Feed Mills. Inc., rnanui factures Master Mix 32% Chick I Concentrate. Its popularity and ' increasing use by feeders everywhere is an ample tribute to its satlsfactlbn as an economical I source of proteins and vitamins in I the feeding of poultry. Every Ingredient is selected with . | scientific care to provide all the i essential elements for rapid, starI dy chick growth with the aim of I developing strong, healthy birds I capable of early egg production. Among these ingredients is dehydrated alfalfa which is widely s recognized for its Vitamin A and D potency.

Air Conditioning f: Preserves SugoE

Collecting w I K To eliminate as much dust as possible this device collects dust from various points in the Master Mix plantPURE SUGAR SAME DESPITE | ITS SOURCE Chemical Comparison Os Pure Beet Sugar Identical With Pure Cane The article of food, which in the parlance of commerce, is designatt'd by the terms "sugar,'’ “beet sugar" and "cane sugar.” is. in actualI ity, a carbohydrate, technically known as Sucrose. Sucrose is a compound of vegetable origin, containing 12 atoms of carbon. 22 atoms of hydrogen and 11 atoms of oxygem and is designated. chemically, by the formula (C12H22011). Physically, sucrose is a solid, crystalizing in the form of prisms which are colorless, transparent and possessive of a sweet taste. Although it is customary to designate sucrose, extracted from the sugar beet as “Beet Sugar'' and

Where Coal Is Converted Into Stu® Ire “ -E . | y *Ji A ' ’’ x ' ‘rK*)' ■■ ' In this huge boiler room thou “ n . d ® the making of steam for heating and i' Central Sugar Refinery.

U ■ Dec T- ti.p, nmtrol it warehouse of the Central • ■ary'i ’t.c.st-sfß Eve dry sparklint cess moisture. ■onsti Even with a capacity of- Bdditi mately 14 million pounds s' no part of tliis building pletes the cycle of sugar ■*?* 1 warm ami ■ grees at all times. Th- structure is with tans behind the 111i.w.-.u ih- warm air ly <!:-• ril>>:‘•• the heat floor upward The fans tr 011..,! . ■the wh-r. •!>. • to , ' Ettatl* f which change the air cons'- Bir e p are also a part of this CitietttOjnf., ing and ventilating system. Let Last year 22 million p®*fc e a sugar went into the war ■hav from the packaging room.ai’fcfi, 1,, ; ,,|. l„>\. and I e be marketed in the cis" Brni area of the sugar company o r* H Big Transformers wffcut For Soya Co. Pldfl Furnishing power to of th- Central Soya no so. ,11 task. By special cW meat With the Decatur elec -th wr os. each over half a mile hk|2 supply pow-r to the Soya«W electricity is carried in at 2300 volts. At the soy pWJM separate and dWinct transformers < <’ii\ert w? 220 and HO volt transform rs have a total OH • ■> sucrose, extracted ( . a „„ as "Cane Sugar. «"W be understood that beet >uf- l s cane sugar are leal composition and |p etetic effect and uses, phy-t properties. Jl food value, the diffe tions being emp^ Itin! il the purpose of ihd source from which th obtained. — |B > .. iary I® Brock, educational ithe Farmers and [ ’ | 8,.,., s.i-.r