The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-11-26
OFFERS GREAT
FOR INDIANA
Larger Yields Of All Crops
Following Beet Culture
Boost Value Of
Farm Lands.


state.
That Is only one. and the less I'm
portant, Of the beneficial results that
would follow the utilization OF COM
paratively small portion Of lndiana's
farm lands for the production of the
sugar, which the people Of the state
are consuming In yearly increasing
quantities. OF still greater value
would be its effect in adding tremen.
dousIy to the farm wealth Of the state
by increasing the yield of other crops
grown in rota tion With sugar beets.
Experience In countries like France
and Germany. where sugar beets have
been grown FOR MANY years on lnrr'
scale, show that from land which "a
planted TO this crop one year In four
the yield of wheat, oats and Othar
cereals grown in The intervening year.
is increased froIi % to 81 per cent
Records collected from American farm
ers in sections where beet culture has
been followed for a number of years
show that the yield of other crops
= W
creased an average of Al per cent.
The yield of wheat on these lands ad-
vanced from 269 bushels per acre to
43.1. Corn went up from 4l.6 bushels
to 53.1 and oats from 40.9 to COG
bushels. The effect of the deem plow
Ing and thorough cultivation required
by sugar beets in boosting the yields
OF the other crops grown In successive
years is all the more striking, as the
yields obtained by these farmers be-
fore beginning sugar beet cultivation
were well above the average. Apply
Ing this rate Of increase TO Indiana
farms would mean that the agr1cul-
tural wealth Of the state would De In
creased $25.O00,O00 year by the gen
eral adoption of sugar beet growing.
Not only does the establishment Of
the sugar beet industry add directly
to the wealth of the state from the
money 1T brings in or keeps at home
and indirectly through the increase OF
other farm crops grown In rotation
with beets, but 1t also adds greatly to
the market value of farm lands.
In Michigan, where the sugar beet in
dustry has reached such proportions
that the state produces all its own
sugar and ships considerable amount
to other markets, its effect upon farm
values and business prosperity In the
sections surrounding the factories Is
clearly marked. Many OF the farms In
these districts were heavily mortgaged
ten years ago. The mortgages have
been paid of so rapidly that today al
most the only farms In the sugar coun-
try that are not debt free are those
that have been bought In thr past few
years by newcomers who want to share
In the prosperity that accompanies this
crop. 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 collections OF bills are made with
much greater pr0mptneSs wherever the
sugar industry has been Introduced
c. A. Dugan. q banker of Decatur,
who has watched the development OF
the industry there. keeping careful rec.
ord OF business transaction Ia the city.
has estimated that the value Of land in
the city and on the surrounding farms
for distance OF several miles has rls-
en- nearly % per cent since the fac.
tory's establishment. This Is not sur.
prising In view OF the fact that In ev.
cry case where the beet sugar industry
has been established in any part OF the
county a gain OF from 80 10 100 per
cent has taken place In land values
within three or four years. When the
beet sugar factory at Paulding. O.. not
far from Decatur, was started two
years ago the same upward tendency
Of land prices was observed. and Il
has been found that the increase since
that time has totaled more than s..
100000 in Paulding county alone.
The adjoining state OF Michigan.
whose soil produces beots in no way
superior TO those OF Indiana, now has
seventeen beet sugar factories. Indiana
could support no less than 166 IL all
crop only one year in four. While this
figure represents a distant possibility.
there is no reason why the state should
not have from fifteen TO twenty-five
such establishments. Taking the low
est figure. fifteen factories would
mean that when they were well under
way the state would have a yearly In.
come OF $l5.000,0O0 a year for sugar
alone. or this huge sum $500, 900
xpuld-E2L dkectlx 70 the fayHeu. Tor
&O ~ ~