History of Santa Cruz County, California

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892 edition. Excerpt: ...beet-sugar factory, who has land adapted to the culture of sugar beets. Heretofore the factory has run annually about three months of the year, owing to the insuff1cient supply of beets. This year, to obviate a short run and consequent curtailment of profits, besides two thousand acres of beets planted by the farmers of the valley, the company has rented a part of the Moro Cojo Rancho, near Castroville, and planted thereon twelve hundred acres of beets. They have constructed a standard narrow-gauge railroad, at a cost of $I00:000, from the factory to the plantation, a distance of thirteen miles. This road will be in operation September 1 of this year, and doubtless will stimulate the industry of beet culture in the vicinity of its terminus, as there are not less than ten thousand acres here of the finest beet land the sun ever shone upon. The Moro Cojo Sugar Beet Plantation is under the immediate supervision of Mr. W. V. Gaffey, one of Watsonville's prominent and enterprising citizens. The general management of the factory and its large contingent interests is intrusted to Mr. W. C. Waters, a gentleman whose experience and ability pre-eminently qualify him for the responsible position which he so successfully fills. Another feature of the factory worthy of more than passing note is an artesian well sixteen feet in diameter, which is now boring. At this writing, at a depth of seventy feet, a flow of one hundred gallons per minute has been obtained. It is intended to sink the well until the flow is seven hundred gallons per minute. This, with another well on the premises, will furnish a daily supply of two million gallons of water, the quantity used by the factory when in active operation. SOUTH COAST PAPER MILLS. These mills, owned and...