The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-01-16
SUGAR BETS MEAN GREATER
FARM WEALTH FOR IOWA
Experts Cite Example Of
Michigan as Illustrating
Opportunity For |owa---Beet
Culture Is a Big Aid to Other
Crops.

~'~PSs
than $l5.OOO.OOO worth Of sugar yearly
1t is grown OIL Michigan farms by
Michigan farmers. 1t is manufactured
IN plants scattered through the farm
ing districts of the state. owned for
the most part by citizens. and partly by
the farmers themselves. Michigan not
only produces enough sugar TO supply
her own people. but has 4 handsome
surplus to sell in other states.
or the $15.O0O,OO0 a year that is thus
saved to the people Of the state the
farmers get more than half. a plump
$S,OOO.O0O a year of real money. Thus
the rapid growth Of the sugar produc-
ing industry. which is recognized as
the greatest agricultural development
of the state in recent times. has shift
ed the balance of trade $3QOOO.00O in
Mchigan's favor. Its full effect has
been much greater than this. for it has
led to the building up OF important
subsidiary industries and to great in.
crease in the agricultural and manu-
featuring wealth Of the state. Thirty
thousand Michigan farmers are now
raising beetS on their land. sixteen sug-
ar factories are in operation and plans
for four more plants have been pre-
pared.
While the whole state. Of course, is
better off for the development OF the
new industry. the farmers apparently
have benefited more than any other
class Figures collected from all parts
of the state show that the average in
come from an acre of sugar beets runs
from $50 to $65, while the cost Of max
ing the crop. if all the work is done by
hired labor. is about $50 an acre. leav-
ing net profit to the farmer Of 500 to
$50 an acre. which is far better return
than he can obtain from any of the
staple cereal crops such as corn, wheat
or oats In many instances much high
err returns are secured. Reports from
forty-five representative farmers rails
ing beetS for one factory showed that
they realized an average OF sos an
acre from their crop last year.
Many Of the farms in the regions
where the sugar beet has been intro
duced were heavily mortgaged ten
years ago. The mortgages have been
paid off SO rapidly that today almost
the only farms that are not debt free
are those that have been bought with
in the last few years by newcomers
who want to share in the prosperity
Of Michigan's tillers of the soil. Bank
deposits have gone up. The sellers OF
agricultural implements. dry goods
men and dealers in ali other lines tell
of improved sales and report that col
lections Of bills are made with much
greater promptness wherever the sug-
ar industry has been introduced.
That similar results may he expect
ed in Iowa is borne out by the teSti-
mOny of farmers who. having already
tried the sugar beet. have found it not
only highly profitable crop in itself
but a most important agency IN in
creasins the yield of other crops grown
in rotation with it. Indeed if the pol
icy of encouraging the growing within
American people continues to- receive
the encouragement of the federal gov
ernment ia the future as it HAS for
the past fifteen years there seems to
be little doubt that Iowa will rank
high among the leaders Of the indus
year to the returns from her beet
fields and factories. This state has
much at stake in the development OF
sugar production. That this is inpor-
tant to the consumers as we'll as to the
producers of sugar was shown plainly
enough year ago. when sugar. which
had gone skyrocketing up to ~ cents
a pound and was being sold at whole
sale by the trust and other refners at
from $6.75 to $3.50 per 100 pounds.
came tumbling down 70 its normal
level as soon az the beet sugar crop
reached the market.
Mr. Moore. the secretary Of the Iowa
Sugar company. has great faith in the
future Of the sugar beet in Iowa. I'VE
have the soil. we have the climate. and
we are producing the beets. The crop
is making money for the farmers. and
II it is properly developed within the
next ten years will do more than any
other thing to cause an increase in
popula ton in the state. The present
factory produces only about 6 per cent
of the sugar used in Iowa. II we had
sixteen factories like it we could pro.
duce the sugar required by the people
Of Iowa. and the farmers would be de-
voting $4,000 acres Of Iowa land to
beets. II the beet industry grows to
these proportions 1t would mean the
employment Of 5000 Zen in factories
and Of about 10000 peasle in the beet
fields The railroads we1;d get about
$1.OOO.OOO for freight each year, the
farmers would receive about S., 600, 600
for beets. and the factories would get
about $1O.OOO.OOO for sugar. The agri-
culture Of northern Iowa would be in
%opc}fo6 Ejuhfv 0crnc would mako 4