Dec 1900 – Beet Sugar Gazette

The Beet Sugar Gazette was a monthly publication covering the entire sugar beet industry around the world.  With offices in Chicago, it was published on the 5th day of each month.  Each month its pages featured articles on sugar beet cultivation and the sugar manufacturing process, and reports from correspondents in sugar producing areas or re-prints of local newspaper articles on local sugar factories.  As such it often printed information giving us valuable information on life in early Los Alamitos and the surrounding area.  This report is from the December 1900 issue of the Beet Sugar Gazette.

 

LOS ALAMITOS, CAL.

Editor Beet Sugar Gazette:—The unusually long drouth of this coast was terminated last Thursday, the 22d inst., by a genuine “sou’easter,” rain falling to the amount of 2.40 inches in less than ten hours, and near the foothills in still greater quantities, causing the rivers to burst their banks and flood the whole valley to a depth of from a few inches to several feet, making of the country a veritable Nile. The water was charged with a fine silt, which was left upon the land when the water had subsided, and had soaked away, thus giving it an even coating of very valuable fertilizer; not only were we benefited by having the lands thus thoroughly soaked and fertilized, but many animal pests, such as pocket gophers, squirrels, rabbits, hares and field mice, which had increased to an abnormal extent during the past dry seasons, were either drowned or forced to higher grounds, where they were killed by the small boy and his dogs, Had there been a bounty upon their scalps, many a lad would have had ample Christmas spending money.

Our beet lands had nearly all been contracted for, and the farmers had about finished their fall plowing, so the soil was in excellent condition (or receiving the water. What beet lands were remaining are now eagerly sought after, and the demand for barley, alfalfa and corn lane! has greatly exceeded the supply. The farmers arc all happy, and with no more rain than our usual spring and summer showers, a bountiful harvest is assured.

The Los Cerritos Ranch Company had prepared to irrigate on quite an extensive scale, as they had sunk large artesian wells, which, together with the natural supply oi water, had kept the lake at Bixby full to overflowing.

The Bixby Land Company also had taken steps toward the same end, and had developed an almost inexhaustible supply of water, which they intended to use upon their beet, grain and pasture lands.

Live stock is in excellent condition, especially that which had been fed upon pulp. The best effect of this food was shown in the great improvement made in the Los Cerritos Company’s dairy herd of 150 cows, which increased in weight of milk 160 per cent, with an increase of 0.6 per cent in the butter fat. The pulp is fed to the cows in troughs, where they are allowed to lick it up at will, allowing about 80 pounds per head; for roughness they are fed alfalfa hay. These two foods alone constitute their ration, upon which the cows not only improve in product, but keep in better health, and some of them even lay on flesh. The pulp is relished equally as much by hogs, a large number of which are kept it 1 connection with the dairy.

At the sugar factory things are being thoroughly overhauled and cleaned, a few minor changes and improvements being made preparatory to an early and long campaign in 1901. Mr. D. E. Noggle. formerly foreman here, is now with the Standard Sugar Company of Ames, Neb. Mr. G. S. Dyer, formerly superintendent here, is in Alvarado, Cal., visiting relatives and friends, that place being the home of his childhood. Mr. J. Evans Miller has just returned from La Grande, Ore., where he has been to assist that company in the capacity of head sugar boiler. Mr. Miller is a very efficient man in sugar factory work, and the Oregon people were fortunate in securing his services. Mr. Roy Smith, another of the employes of this factory, has just returned from an extended tour of inspection of the other factories of this state, and gives glowing accounts of how the other fellows do it. Not long since. Mr. J. O. Reed returned from Catalina Island, whither he had gone on his honeymoon. He and his bride are now comfortably settled in their new home on Florista street, and thing are assuming a very home-like aspect about there.

The preparation of the 7,000 acres for the beet crop is now proceeding briskly. In addition to the beet crop, there will be about 2,000 acres put into barley,  700 acres into corn and 500 or 600 acres into alfalfa.

SEMI-OCCASIONAL.

November 24. 1900.

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