Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-02-06
Experts Cite Example Of
Michigan as Illustrating
Opportunity For lowa---Beet
Culture Is a Big Aid to Other
Crops.

farmers get more than half, Il plump,
$S.00O,OOO 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 $30.OOO.O00 in
Michigan'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 hand, 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 OF 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 500 to SOS. while the cost Of max
ing the crop. IL all the work is done by
hired labor. Is about $3D all acre. leav-
ing net profit to the farmer of S25 to
$50 an acre, which n far better return
than he can obtnin from any Of the
staple cereal crops such as corn. wheat
or oats. In many Instances much high
er returns are secured. Reports from
forty-five representative farmers rails
Ing beets for one factory showed that
they realized an average Of 500 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 OF go 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 all 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 be expect
ed in Iowa fs borne out by the testi-
mony of farmers who. having already
tried the sugar best, have found It not
only a highly profitable crop in itself
but most Important agency In In
ereasing the yield Of other crops grown
In rotation with It. Indeed n the pol
Icy of encouraging the growing within
the United States Of sugar to feed the
American people continues to receive
the encouragement of the federal gov
ernment In the future as II has for
the past fifteen years there seems to
be little doubt that Iowa will rank
high among the leaders Of the indus
try and will add millions of dollars a
year to the returns from her beet
fields and factories. This state has
much at stake in the development of
sugar production. That this Ia impor-
tant to the consumers az well as to the
producers Of sugar was shown plainly
enough II year ago. when sugar, which
hnd gone skyrocketing up to 10 cents
pound and was being sold at whole
sale by the trust and other refiners at
from $0.75 to $3.50 per 100 pounds,
came tumbling down to 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 sugur 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 1t is properly developed within the
next ten years will do more than any
other thing to cause an Increase In
population in the state. The present
factory produces only about g per cent
of the sugar used In Iowa. II we had
sixteen factories like 1t we could pro.
duce the sugar required by the people
voting $4,000 acres Of Iowa land to
beets. If the beet industry grows to
these proportions 1t would mean the
employment of 5000 men In factories
and Of about 10000 people In the beet
fields. The railroads would get about
$l,OOO,OOO for freight each year. the
farmers would receive about $4,000. oOC
for beets, and the factories would gel
about $1O,OOO,O00 for sugar. The agri-
culture of northern Iowa would be In
tensiHed. Eighty acres would make q
large farm. Live stock production
,vo.,l1 t,o .t1,,,1oA>A %. ,v,,.A 10 <b,
stock feed value of beets is retained
in the tops and pulp. Weeds would
be kept under better control. for the
intensive cultivation given beets is de
structive to any weed. even Quack
grass"