The Sugar Beet Gamble in Yakima
Despite a gubernatorial veto of the state bounty bill, a persistent promoter is pushing forward with plans to establish a sugar beet industry in Yakima.
The Yakima Republic two weeks ago said: A large bag full of beet seed was received at the express office last week consigned to E. D. Comings, the beet sugar factory promoter. The seeds were shipped from Michigan, and are intended to test the growing qualities of some of the soil in this vicinity. It is the intention of Mr. Comings, it is said, to put in a test field this year in this vicinity to demonstrate to the farmers how easy it is to grow beets. It is also understood that Mr. Comings is still in the notion of building the beet sugar factory notwithstanding the veto of the bounty bill by the governor.
“Mr. Comings is still in the notion of building the beet sugar factory notwithstanding the veto of the bounty bill by the governor.”
The early 20th-century push for sugar beet factories in Washington was a classic example of the 'booster' era, where promoters sought to transform local agriculture through industrial infrastructure. Today, Yakima remains a powerhouse of agricultural production, though the dream of a local sugar beet empire has long since faded into history.
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