The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-05-09
RESULTS OF BEET CULTURE.
Wonderful Effect In Increasing Farm
Values and Helping Local Trade.

Values and Helping Local Trade.
SIN order to obtain accurate informa.
ton regarding the average results
brought about locally by the establish.
ment of beet sugar factories in the "a.
rious communities where such facto-
ries have been erected" says Truman
G. Palmer, secretary of the United
States Beet Sugar Industry, in a report
which has been published as a congress 4
sional document u recently wrote to
the local bankers, county assessors and
postmasters where each of these sugar
factories is located and to the sugar
companies as well, inclosing blank in
which were some thirty-one questions.
Not all the blanks have been returned,
but l will give the gist of those al
ready received. l may add that not a
word of Encouragement was expressed
in any answer ia any report
y asked What gross proceeds per
acre are your farmers able to secury in
beet culture% IN most instances they
gave me the range from the lowest to
the highest The lowest was $2l, the
highest $3.50, the average of all S6940
per acre.
THE next question was, And how
does this compare with what they OBJ
tain in raising other eropsp Among
the replies were, One hundred per cent
higher 'Beets best crops we can grow.
Favorable Very much in excess of
other crops, About 300 per cent, An
increase Of 80 per cent A decided i'm,
proyement, About three times as
much.
"Then l asked, AS the farmers be
come familiar with beet raising are
they more or are they less anxious to
raise beetsY All replied that they
were more anxious, that interest was
increasing and, in all but one case. that
the acreage was being extended.
II asked next, Have farm mortgages
increased or decreased since the erec-
tion of the factory, and to what ex-
tentT All but two stated that they
had decreased, some materially, some
25 per cent, some 30 per cent, one that
very few farms we're now mortgaged.
Two stated that farm mortgages had
increased owing to the fact that rent
ers We're becoming able to buy on par
tial payments.
II then asked for the average price
Of agricultural lands prior to the loca-
ton Of the factory and at the present
time. Two gave no price before the
factory was erected, the land being
desert and of little value, land In one
of those sections now being worth
S100 per acre. In the other $3.50 per
acre or the others, the smallest in
crease was 20 per cent, the greatest
$50 per cent The average price of all
was $3428 per acre prior to the loca,
ton of the factory and $75.55 per acre
at the present time The average IN
crease In value was 124 per cent
"The next question was, What ef
feet has the erection Of the factory
had on the prosperity Of the farmersy
Here are some Of the replies Glorious,
Profits double, They are paying debts
and renters are buying farms Good,
Much interest shown, Diversity Of
crops Enables them to buy land and
build homes. Better prices and de
mand for produce of all kinds Great
ly increased
81 think this pretty accurately sizes
up the situation as to the farreaching
beneficial effect Of the erection of a
beet sugar factory on surrounding
farmers.
But this is only part of it. Mer-
chants and real estate men are affected
I'm fact, the whole community.
called for the assessed valuation Of all
town property before the erection OF
the factories and at the present time,
the same information as to population,
average price of residence lots and of
business lots. The rSplies show the
average increase to be as follows;
Per cent.
| Assessed valuation, increase. .......... l3e
| Population, increase. se..,.................. Ss1S
Average value of residence lots. in
! crease ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. bS
| Average value of business lots, in
crease ..........+............... 1SS
"All these results are directly ano
wholly attributable to the erection OF
the beet sugar factories. put another
question What effect has the erection
of the factory had on the prosperity OF
your merchantsY Here are some of
the replies: Greatly increased Bust
ness doubled Profits doubled Many
new stores, Prosperous No failures,
Increased cash sales Increased the
business 1000 per cent Neither mer
chants nor prosperity before
1.-THE question is, Do we want COG
more such towns, each surrounded by
thousand or more prosperous farm
ers' families. or will we destroy this