Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-04-04
FARaERs m VICINITY OF CLEAR
LAKE DEVOTE LAND TO
USUAL cRoPs.
FACTORY ouEsrioN NOT
NOW 6Eiko AclTATEp
One Farmer says Beet Growing Must
Bs Made Speciality BY Those Who
Engage IN it-Too Much Drudssry
For chiidrsn-cattIs Now on Feed
Net in Coed Condition.

Special to Times -Repubhcan..
Clear Lake. April 4.-Last year the
farmers Of Cerro Gordo county grew
about $500 acres Of sugar beets. this
town being the center Of the principal
beet raising district Of the county. The
fields ranged In acreage from one to
thirty and in those cases where the
size Of the planted tract justified it.
Greek ard Russian hand labor was fur
nished by the sugar company and paid
for by the farmer who prepared the
ground, planted the seed and cultivated
and harvested the crop. The price per
ton to be paid by the manufacturers
was stated in the contract made, the
farmer assuming no risk except that Of
an unfavOrable season. It was the ex-
pectation of the beet grower that the
new crop would prove more profitable
than the raising Of corn, oats and
grass, and there was talk of future
factory in the vicinity in case suffi-
Gent acreage could be assured to
make practical It's operation. There
seems to be no complaint on the part
of the sugar company that the farmer
failed to do all he agreed to do. and the
farmer says the other fellow did nearly
all that he promised, mentioning. some
times. something about insufficient
hand labor and delay in the erection of
a dump for unloading the beets at the
station.
This year. it Is estimated that nine
tenths Of last seasons beet acreage
here will be devoted to the usual crops
and nothing Is being said about the es-
Enlistment Of sugar beet factory in
this locality.
One OF the Clear Lake farmers who
tried raising sugar beets last year said
Il made some money last year on my
beets. possibly as much as would have
done with the ordinary Iowa crops.
There are reasons. however, which
warrant the assertion that this will
never be a beet growing country. Far
ners can not AFFORD to neglect their
ether crops to attend to an acre or two
Of beets from which they derive no
greater profit than an equal acreage
Of corn. Those who wish to raise beets
had better let other lines Of farming
alone. Then there is another feature of
the business that will never admit of
the popularity CT growing beets in a
place like this. The family that does
the hand work virtually lives in the
field turnout the season. Man, wife and
children pull weeds ana block beets
from morning till night and day after
day. We have come to the belief IN
this part OF the world that children are
entitled to better educational oppor-
tunftfes than are provided IN beet
fields and that deprIying them Of con-
tact with different influences from
those with which they have been ac-
cusfomed is very inefficient method
OF dealing with immigration from such
countries as Russia. Austria, and
Greece. This one thing in my opinion
IL enough to prevent any considerable
attention being given to anything like
the growing of sugar beets in a country
that is exploited the world over as one
where the price Of land is certain to
continually advance because it is in the
limited zone of the corn belt"
notwithstanding the mild winter
that has just passed and the abund-
ance OF rough feed that is yet to be
seen on almost every farm It is a fact
that cattle are not at this time in near
~ 50 good condition as is usual at the
OAShA9 "a u. Ono man whose
herd is in splendid shape for entering
the pasture season explains the situa-
ton thus: Last fall many stock owners
remembering the scarcity OF feed thru
out the preceding winter decided to
economize to the greatest possible ex-
tent and thereby overdid the matter.
Even II feed does become scarce and
high in price it is a mistake to nut
cattle on light ratfonS at the he1fnnin~
OF winter. of all times. II allowed to
become thin then no amount OF care
and feed will put them in condition
again until the succeeding pasture sea-
son is far advanced. Nobody ever
made any profit On livestock by stary-
ing 1t but If the ration must be re-
duced early winter is the very time
when it works the greatest havoc on
livestock.
The story Of Clear Lakes six miles Of
graveled roads II well known by those
who read Iowa newspapers. As there
was no old-fashioned spring "break-
up" this year they will not this season
be fully appreciated. but they are there
ready for use when such q time does
come. az II surely will, and plans are
being made to extend the work. Last
0rrino For Wh;cLn.,