The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1909-12-25
SAYS LEO ~ GElsAER. FATHER or
NORTHERN AGRICULTURE
Ne MAKES GREAT PREDICTIONS
AIsa County Farmer Raised Sugar
Beeb Before Michisan Had Any
Factories.

Grange last week Leo M. Giesmel
loomed up as one OF the most promin'
ent farmers OF the state. Fitzgibbons
OF the Detroit News interviewed Mr..
Giesmer and the following is the
write-up he received In the News,
The father OF agriculture in the mp
per peninsula Is what they call Leo M.
Geismer, and he Is here attending
the State Grange annual. He lives
at Chatham. Alger county, and haf
been In charge Of the agricultural col
lge's experimental station there. since
il was established in 1899. he was
born In France and grew mp and stud
led scientific agriculture there. For
time he lived in Detroit. In 1887 he
went to the upper peninsula and took
up leo acres of government land near
bruce Crossing In the southern part OF
Ontonagon county. This 100 10 now
model farm.
Mr.. Geismer Is personally known to
more farmers In the country above the
straits than any other man. And.
hundreds who are not personally ao-
quainted with him know him through
correspondence. For years he has been
travelling up and down the 10 counties
OF the peninsula preaching at farmers
institutes the better and more success.
full agricultural methods. To him the
u. r. farmers usually write for a rem
edy for a crop or an animal that ism {
doing we'll. They are always sure TO
receive the remedy without cost. He
Is extremely optimistic of agricultural
possibilities in the the U. p. In an
interview today. he said
"When went north In 'S7, the only
farming districts were in Menominee
and Chippewa counties. There were.
however, farm settlements in Macki-
nav, Marquette and Schoolcraft coun-
ties, but they were small. having been
started some 30 years or so before by
families who went miles into the
woods from the main roads OF travel.
The year l went TO Ontonagon the
Duluth and South Shore road was com
pleted from Nestoria 10 Duluth, about
200 miles. At that time there was a
very general impression that the upper
peninsula would always be dependent
on the outside country for a good part
Of its food supply.
From the beginning was disposed
towards the idea that considerable Of
the upper peninsula could be develop
ed into farms. My first experiments
were growing sugar beets This was
some 10 years before the first beet su-
gar factory was built in Michigan. and
before there was any talk OF trying TO
develop the beet sugar industry. | sent
samples OF the beets / grew TO the ag.
rioultural department, at Washington.
for testing. They were somewhat
shrunken and pretty dry wnen they
reached there. and did not test like
they would when they were fresh frsm
the ground. but the report OF the test
showed they could be prohtably Guilt
waited. We have now at Menominee
the largest sugar beet factory in Mich
igan.
81 experimented with peas and be-
came convinced that they were crop
that we could always depend on. Time
has verified my conviction. Thirty
years ago Delaware was the center OF
the pea canning industry OF the United
States. Twenty years ago the center
OF the industry had moved 10 Central
Ohio. Now IL Is in tho Sheboygan,
Wisconsin district. II has been steadily
moving north. and I'll tell you why.
Peas thrive all right enough In warm
climate. but plant the peas 30 grown
and the second crop will be- small and
more or less shriveled. To produce
hrst grads peas In warm climate the
seed must come from a colder climate.
This is . reason why In the past few
years the demand for upper Michigan
grown peas fer planting has increased
many times. Six years ago but few
hundred dollars worth Of upper PENN
sula peas we're sold for seed. This
year some 400. 600 bushels were sold.
Nine factories outside OF Michigan
had buyers In Michigan buying seed
peas this year.
In the warmer climates peas even
with the seed purchased farther north
deteriorate after several crops. This
is why ! predict that In 10 years the
pos canning industry will have again
shifted. this time 10 the upper PENN
ula We have now one large pea can.