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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1880)
May, 1880. THE WEST SHORE. '47 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. The interest in (agar making and the growth of saccharine materiel is still active in region! of our country which hitherto have relied alto- At the extreme East, the Maine Beet Sugar Company, at Portland, pulled through laet lea son with a small profit, although they had a late start and were put to extra expense to store their unnsed material away from the frosts of last November. In Massachusetts the planting of beets for sugar is urged with unremitting vigor, and the namee of suooessful beet growers of 1870 tabulated for evidence on the aflirma tive eide of the question. In Delaware and in other (States bordering on the Atlantic there is also a disposition toward the beet, and it seems firobable that the ooming season will furnish uller evidenoe then has hitherto been available upon the practicability and profitability of the subterranean sugar business, 10 to speak. Jumping from the Atiantio to the Paoifio coast, in order to keep our eye still on root sugar, we find in California that the Alvarado sngarie has about finished its sesson's work, and, although no evidenoe is yet at hand con cerning the profitability of the production to the stockholders, there are faots brought forward by local observers which indicate that the enter prise has a very lively air about it, and is mak ing preparations for the ooming beet crop, which would indicate that there is heart in the business, and the heart of most business is the ooin in it. The Alameda County Htjtorttr, says: "The supply of beets is obtained from the farm ers, who grow them on contract with the com pany. The contract is by the acre, the company paying $4 per ton for the crop delivered at the factory. In 1879, about 1,100 acres were con tracted for, and about 12,500 tons of beets were delivered. The factory has continued in operation with slight interruptions, and the last season s crop will DO women up ueinre may last Work will, however, be continued a month lon ger, upon the lower products, that is in re-work-ing the syrup left from the sugar already made, for the nurnoee of obtaining from it whatever is possible of the cryataflizable sugar it yet contains. The result of the season's run will be about 5,500 barrels, or 680 tons of sugar. In addition to this, there are on hand 800 barrels of crude sugar, which was bought with the Sac ramento establishment, inis win require era! weeke to refine after their other work ii done. The company has paid to the farmers in the vicinity of Alvarado with whom iney con traded last season, about M0.000, Iwaiilei which it gives direct employment to about 80 chinamen and :t:t white iiion. This season the acreaae of beets contracted for by the company, rill lia ahmit the same as last vear. Ten tons of beet seed of the Imperial Electoral variety has been received from Germany, this spring, and mav be obtained bv farmers who enter into the contract. Work will begin on the next orop about September 1st." W d.mht if the farmers of the old est k. twn stirred ud on anv subject, as they seem to be on the sorghum sugar interest This business, set upon foot by a few enterprising farmers of the northwest, was taking up by ii... 1. I and bis nromuluation ol the op portunity in it has excited the attention of the dwellers in a broad belt of oountry, from T.. t Vimnasnta and beyond. The latest in formation on the progress of tins phase of '1m sugar industry we find in an address of den. U Duo at the Klmira Farmers' olub in New York State. He said: "At the Sugar l.rowar m.niun at Uinneapolis, Minnesota, I saw on exhibition many samples of exoellent sugar, one fanner having five barrels of as good oommon yellow sugar, as could be made anywhere, and to one who loves his country, who delignte in k. ..n.l.ninn nf her capabilities. o( her proa Srtty and independence, it was a most gratify I and interesting exhibition." This seems to be the general ids of the sorghum growers of the northwest. They are oonfident In what they have done, and the tendency toward the erection of modest sugar making establish ments, and the planting of early amber oane is as vigorous in the prairie States as was the movement toward cheese factories and dairv uerus iu Mew lurk, when the great exports to England opened the way for a new industry. GREED, THE MOLOCH OF TO-DAY. From far distant India come the horrible tid ings that hundreds of human beings have been sacrificed to expiate an offended Deity, saoriHoed that a king might live. No doubt this will fur nish a theme for many a thrilling missionary sermon; and charity will adjust her telescopic glasses upon the benighted land, and send out some thousand Bibles and a few prcaohors to convert tho oruel heathen. But psgsn Birmah is not the only place where human sacrifices srs in order. Here, in the midst of our much-vaunted Christian civili zation, hollocausts are offered to the modern Moloch covetoueness. Yee, to our shame lie it said, we yot practice the doctrine that the many must bo sacrificed for the benefit of the few, and men, women and children die that the kings may make money. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is well enough for a writing-book copy, but it is in the way any here else; end the New Command inoiit, "Love ye one another, is looked up in our exceedingly pious churches, to be aired only on Sundays. Action is the test of belief ; if faith be the root, then deeds are its leaves snd fiowsrs. It is useless to decry as impious human sacrifices. when daily we sacrifice life for cam. What if these sacrifices are veiled beneath the mild terms, accidents or oasualitiee, srs thsy for this reason any the less horrible 7 Shall we ever learn to call things by thsir right namss the namee given to them at the Tribunal of Truth -and cease compounding with crime, as we uow do continually? A building destined to contain hundreds of precious lives is to be ounstruoted. Is the work given to the moet skilled t By no means. It is the loweet bidder that gots the job, and it is well known that often the bid is too low to admit of good work. Ths employer chuckles over his good bargain, and if the building falls, crushing beneath its ruins many a human baing, it is a sad accident, but no one is criminated. An over-worked railroad employee, dulled by fatigue, forgets a signal or mispfsocs a switch, and trains collide; or under paid workmen, hur rying to make wsgee suflicisnt to live, bsoome reckless, and an explosion ensues. Then soci ety is horrified; sensational newspapers gloat over the ghastly sensation) a few protests are uttered; perhape some careless workman, made careless by injustice, is dismissed, making ons more added to the list of unfortunates and that is all that is done, for the world is in too great a hurry to stop to investigate, and short sighted oovetousnsss, led by Its high prieeta, over -work and under-pay, rushes 00 to new sacrifices. It is tins that public opinion turned all its force, against this greed of gain, which not only stullfiee the mind and destroy s happiness, but renders those who should be noble oitissns of the highest civilisation, immoletors of mankind, as mem h s and cruel as the deluded pagan. If , in Home I. Do not seek easy ways; for easy waya lead to rust Do not seek to get rid of responsibilities, bat be anxious to assume them. See to It that, as you draw Bear to the later year of life, you draw near lolly equipped. Coat is known to underlie f ully 30,000 square miles of ths Territory of Montane. THE USE OF CONDIMENTS. The general definition of this word is, "a pungent and appetising substance, as pepper or mustard; seasoning, Something ussd to dve relish to food and to gratify ths taste." To the question, why do you uss pepper on your food ? you reply, because you relish the taste of the pepper. A little thought will, perhaps, convince you that you mistake its use. Is It not more probable that the addition of condi ments brings nut the flavor of the article of food on which it is placed. As a geueral thing pep per and mustard are not used on the fruits. Carrying out this visw, if condiments are used simply to bring out fully ths latent flavor of the dish, they could with equal propriety ba used on fruit. This is, in fact, the ease. To convince yourself nf this, use pepper on straw berries, snd you will find In them a flavor more delicious than you have evereipnrienoed before. You will further discover that in this case you have not used the iepper for its Uet The use of salt Is as iniproiierly understood. It is a natural preeervstive wlinu applied to an imal substances. The acid In the salt being the preeervativ element. When used with vegetable food, but not in such quantities ss to cause a ealty taste, it is a great improvement. In boiling com or oatmeal without adding a lit tle salt at first will cause it to have a bitter if not unpleasant taste. The addition of salt re moves this rank taste snd gives the spiaranus of smoothness. This Is caused by the uheniloal . t ion of the acid in ths salt on the fauna or sts'ch. We use pepper and mustard on food for ths purpose of bringing nut the llsvor of the article on whioh it is placed Ho with silt A good test nf this is (wiled rice, which is perfectly In aipid without the addition of salt, Many peo ple prefer it tlavored with sugar. It will ba found that whan sugar is used It will be fsr mors plnaaaut and agreeable to the taste if it had been previously seasoned with salt, al though not strong enough to detect the last. bi n mu lloiuii 11 h iik In confirmation ,,( the recent experiment in slsotro hortiotiltura by Dr. C. W. Helmens, which were notiocd at length In the I'RMN of April 17th, the Stlmlijle AmrrieaH remarks as follows 1 "It baa often been remarked by Arctic explorere that plant which n nunc several mouths to ripen their fruit In tempera! climate, complete the ssins round 11I budding, leooining and maturing In a few weeks under the continuous sunshlns of the Arctic summer. A corresponding rapidity of growth Is shown by snnuala I11 sub-Arctic lati tudes, as In northern Norway, where the sum mer sun, though never res. lung a high altitude, yet remains almve the horison from 18 to 20 hours a day. A spota of aorn which flourish in Canada failed to rtwn In Kentucky, though the warm season there la some weak humor than In Canada. Th auperior rapidity with which vegetation puahea forward during period of full moon anil light night ba uo been widely noticed; three fact of general observa tion, with others of a more r 1 p. ri mental char acter, going to show that many of th plants of our temperate olimate thrive In proportion to the duration of the daily (direct or indirect) sunshine Ibey enjoy, rather than aeoording to the temperature of the air." "Hai.i.v Jokm, have you done that sum I set you?" "No, thir; I can't dolt" -Can't da it? I'm ashamed of yonl Why, at yoar ago I oould do any tain tbat was set before me. I hate that word ran'!, for there is no sam that can't be dune, I tell you." "1 think thir, that 1 know a thum that you oaa'l thifer oat." "Hal Wall Sally, lt' (Mar li "It ith toils, thir: If oa apple oantbad th rain ol the whole human rathe, how many of Ibutch will it tk to mak a barrel of Under, thirl" "Mia Sally Jonas, you may retails to yoar parsing lesson. " "Vein thir." I