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 June 1900 issue of the Sugar Beet.
page 11
LOS ALAMITOS, CAL.
Editor Beet Sugar Gazette:—During the last four weeks 2.09 inches of rain has fallen in this locality, being the heaviest recorded precipitation at this season of the year since 1883. The total for the season is now 8.23. Though below the normal average of rainfall, had this aggregate been well distributed during the winter months the beet crop would have equaled, if not exceeded, any previous crop, but during two months of seeding time, from January 5 to March 4, there was no recorded rainfall. As a consequence the acreage planted is greatly reduced. Notwithstanding this, it is hoped that if cool and foggy weather prevails, the tonnage may equal, if not exceed, that of 1897, when six million pounds of sugar were produced by the Los Alamitos sugar factory.
The farmers of the Los Cerritos and Los Alamitos ranches, who had almost abandoned hope, together with their beet fields, have put every available man into the work of cultivation. In every field there may be seen bands of thinners, mostly Mexicans, and the farmer himself, with horse and cultivator, followed by bands of helpers with hoes, giving the long rows of beets a thorough cultivation; as there has been very little wind, the fields show a fine even stand, except in spots here and there where the seed bed was too dry at the time of planting. Now, however, since the rains even these spots show the vitality of the seed and a second thinning will be required. The estimate of tonnage by the farmers is from ten to twenty tons to the acre.
The lands of these ranches, being largely sub-irrigated and within about four miles of the seacoast, receiving the benefit of considerable foggy weather, it has been demonstrated during the last three years of drouth, that a crop of beets may be raised each and every year, although the precipitation may fall far below the normal. Thus while other factories have now and then missed a run, this factory has made a run each year. The secret is thorough cultivation and work kept up to date, so as to take advantage of the rains when they do come; thus has it been proved that an excess of moisture is1 not a necessity to the crop.
Considerable planting has been done since the rains of the first of the month. Under the warm and moist conditions prevailing the beets have come up in from four to six days, and, no doubt, some of the later plantings may be ready for delivery to the factory before some of the earlier beets, which have made a much slower growth.
The estimate of acreage upon which a good stand is now reasonably assured, as given by J. L. Elam, field superintendent, is 2,660 acres, at this date. The weather continues foggy and warm, with little wind.
May 19, 1900. K. L.
p.18
ACREAGE FOR THE COMING CAMPAIGN.
The Los Alamitos factory has seeded 6.000 acres of its own land, the recent rains having made its land available for beets.
p.19
J. L. Elam, agricultural superintendent of the Los Alamitos sugar factory, was at Oxnard, Cal., the first week in May, investigating the irrigation question as applied to sugar beets. Mr. Elan also spent some time at Chino, studying the irrigation question there. The results of his investigations will be embodied in a report to his company.