From here the beets are taken by an elevator to the top of the plant. There knives cut them into small strings less than a half inch in diameter. These chips or “spaghetti” are run into diffusion tanks. They first go to a liming station, then through sulfur stoves, a bleaching process and on into evaporating tanks. Here the solution is concentrated from 12 per cent sugar to 65 per cent pure. Then the sugar is put through a centrifugal crystalizer and through a hot air blast dryer. It takes just twenty-four hours from beets to sugar. All machinery is electric.
The factory produced 183,000 bags of sugar last year or over eighteen million pounds. About one-fourth of this is in the warehouse when we visit it. The beets were grown on 11,000 acres in 1927 and the total crop was 35,000 tons of beets.
An Irrigation Canal
We go further east on the highway 212 to the byroad leading north to Orman Dam. The dam is a gigantic affair, holding back a tremendous amount of water for use in irrigating land for sugar beets and other crops. The water is so clear that we can see the fish swimming beneath its surface.
The Belle Fourche Reclamation Project is one of the wonders of the western part of South Dakota. It is not in the “Hills” proper, but is well worth going to see. We drive on to Nisland, observing the effects of irrigation as we go.
CHAPTER IX
Spearfish
U. S. Government Fish Hatchery at Spearfish
From Nisland we retrace our route through Belle Fourche to Spearfish. There we find another splendid and modern camp. We enjoy staying at these camps of which their cities are justly proud. The cost is the same fifty cents per night as that of the less developed camps. But the modern toilet facilities, running water, wood, stoves, lights, community log cabins, dance floors, swimming pool, fishing and patrol system create in the traveler’s heart a warm feeling toward those cities or towns. In addition to this, the freedom with which people from all over the United States meet and talk over experiences is a source of lasting pleasure to the conversational type. The large cars of eastern manufacturers and the Fords of vagabonds from any place in South Dakota or the United States sleep side by side. Toward evening knots of people gather here and there about the camp or in the community building and the topic is likely to be anything from sheep raising in Perkins county or mica mining at Keystone to the workings of the New York Stock Exchange. Roads are discussed, scenery and experiences are swapped and friendships are made. Everyone is congenial, all are neighbors and class spirit does not exist. It would surprise one how he can broaden his knowledge through these contacts.