The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-03-06
Would Add S44,OOO,OOO to
States Annual Farm Wealth.
Consumers Would Ben.
oft Too.


ing the extra bushels produced.
when one considers the advantages
of soil, climate. implements. education
and wealth enjoyed by Ohio farmers
and compares them with the many dis
advantages which confront German
farmers it would seem that these fig
ures should receive the earnest con
Sideration of every person in your
state. Not only do your low yields af
feet your farmers. but they affect the
well. All consumers must pay the
penalty of high prices for food prod
ucts which naturally go with low yields
per acre, and your superior conditions
count for naught if they are not so han1
died as to result in increased yields
For many years American thinkers
on agriculture had been puzzled con
cerning the two phases of this most
important subject. First. they were
puzzled and chagrined TO note the fact
that with our virgin soil and superior
condition we were making little or no
headway in increasing our acreage
crop yields, While Europe in some man
ner was reiuvenating her wornout soils
and making them yield two bushels
to our one. In Germany the acre
age increase in yield of cereal crops
amounted to so per cent in thirty
years. while our increase Of the same
crops during the same period amounted
to but &C per cent.
Second, shey marveled that, while
American farmers declared that the
culture of sugar beets injured their
soil and scarcely could he induced to
grow them, European farmers were
determined to grow them in ever in
creasing quantities. even at much
less price per ton than was being paid
in the United States.
"These two conditions seemed most
astonishing until few years ago Il
personal investigation revealed the rea-
son for both and also disclosed the fact
that the two were linked together in
dissolubly. 1t was found that Eu
ropean farmers long since had learned
that the sine qua non of heavy cereal
crop yields was to plant the fields to
root crop, preferably sugar beets
one year in four. The requisite deep
heavy fertilization of the root crop
freed their fields of weeds and other
nOXious groWthS which were Sapping
the vitality of the soil and left the land
in such excellent physical and chemical!
condition as to increase the yield of
other crops planted on the same land
during the following three years by 30
to 100 per cent. They made their beet
crop pay for all the extra labor and
fertilizer applied in producing it. The
cereal crops which followed sugar beets
received no extra care. being farmed
, in the customary manner. No won
der they wished to- devote One-fourth
of their fields to sugar beets. the by
products from which they hauled back
to their farms. fed to their stock and
returned to the soil.
CAS- the sugar which was extracted
came wholly from the atmosphere, the
purposes took nothing from the soil
| Where sugar factories were not at
hand they raised sugar beets and fed
| them to stock, sugar and all. Others
got to raising mangel wurzels. which
| yield q heavier tonnage, though not
so rich, but all prefer sugar beetS
where there is q factory at hand
for the money they receive for the
sugar is a clear gain. In any event
they must rotate their cereals with q
hoed crop if they would increase theil
yield, and hoed crops in Germany oc
| cupy over one-fourth of the areas de-
voted to cereals. They declare that tt
the introduction of the sugar beet is
! due all the credit for their marvellous
yields.
Immediately the European methods
had been thoroughly analyzed anC
proved the information was spread
broadcast among 100000 American sug
ar beet farmers. Many Of them adopt
ed the European method at once, ant
the effect was marvellous. The yield o.
the crops which followed on beet lant
exceeded even the European yields, ant
farmers increased their sugar beet
acreage. In four years the acreage
planted to beets increased from 5,SS'
to 7,176 acres per factory with the re
suit that for several years past the do
nestle sugar output has increased a
the rate of 100000 tons year, and tha
Is the direct cause of the present de
mand by the cane refners for reduc
tlon in the duty on our imports of for
eign raw sugar.
Few there are in America who SuS
pect that the culture or lack of cultur
of the humble sugar, beet has more t,
do with the price of food products thai
has that of any other farm product
but such is the case. for when we reacl
the final analysis it will be found tha
the law of supply and demand still i
doing duty at the old stand. Were W,
to double the yield of our fields 0
cereal crops the benefits accruing woul,
be shared by the consumer, for wit
double. the yield the price would b
| loxunrW saA