The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-03-01
J. A. Brock Makes Some
Observations On Subject
WILL LECTURE IN kATo
Address To Be Delivered At City
Hall Next Monday
Afternoon
From Fridays Daily.

from fridays Daily
Owing to the deep interest mani
tested by the farmers OF this district
in the nations need for an increased
sugar beet production j. A. Brock
who is the sugar beet expert of the
United States food administrations
sugar division and who is now con-
Quoting a series of lectures in this
state, has consented to repeat his
lecture here on next Monday after
noon at p. m. in the council cham
bers. Every farmer in this district
is invited to attend this meeting. In
addition to pointing out the great
necessity for more sugar beets Mr.
Brock gives a practical talk on the
subject of sugar beet culture and
points out how more tons per acre
may be produced
In discussing the national sugar
situation here today Mr.. Brock
stated that last year Minnesota
single beet sugar factory produced
sufficient sugar to furnish 10000
American soldiers with a full sugar
ration for one year.
Minnesota produced total of
1917" said Mr.. Brock. Next fall the
food administration expects Mime
sbta4to furnish. the nation with ,ap :
proximately 100000 pounds. To
produce this amount it will be
necessary to increase the area
planted to beets this spring con-
siderably and we expect every farm
er to increase his normal planting
as much as is consistent with good
farming and as his conditions will
permit.
."The sugar factory has voluntar-
lily agreed to increase the price to be
paid for beets from So to SO per
ton. With the additional financial in
ducement together with the great
need for sugar We feel confident that
the farmers of Minnesota will do all
within their power to aid the nation
at this time.
mot only are we asking the
farmers to increase the area devot-
ed to sugar beets but we are also
asking them to increase their eff
cheney to such a point as will insure
a maximum production per acre. If
is a recognized fact that careful
seeded preparation together with
good cultivation will result in a
material increase in the yield per
acre and we are especially anxious
that every beet grower will give
these matters careful attention.
Food in an Acre Of Beets.
can acre of sugar beets will fur
nish the nation with2more actual food
than almost any other crop. Espe-
cially is this tru elf the farmer will
utilize the by-products, in the form
of tops, in an efficient manner.
During recent years it has been
demonstrated that sugar beet tops
when sliced furnish a most excel
lent cattle food. Where beet top
sflage has been fed to dairy cows
the milk flow has increased on an
average of over twenty-five per
cent. In view of these facts we are
encouraging The beet farmers to silo
their beet tops and in this manner
add to the nations food supply.
Comparatively few Americans
realize the great change the war has
wrought in the worlds sugar mar
ket and consequently the reason for
an increased beet sugar production
is but rarely appreciated.
Before the war England obtain
ed almost seventy per cent of its
total sugar supply from Germany
and Austria France produced all
the sugar the French people con-
sumed and large amount was
available for export. The same was
true tof Italy,s Belgium and Russia.
Gas result of the war England
can no longer obtain sugar from
Germany, the beet fields of France
and Italy are now battle fields and
hence the sugar production of these
countries has been reduced con-
siderably. Russia can not export
sugar and the beet fields of Belgium
are now in the hands of the Ger
mans.
with these changes IN the sugar
producing countries of Europe to-
gether with the shipping condition
which makes the importation OF
sugar from Java and other distant
oversee countries almost. impos-
sible the great task of supplying ou1
allies with sugar falls upon the
United States and Cuba.
Supply From States and Cuba.
According to the estimates made
by the experts of the food admins
tration the United States and Cuba
will have to supply, during 1918, ap-
proximately 100000 tons of sugar
to England. France will require
100000 tons and Italy $4,000 tons.
"When we consider that under
normal conditions the United States
and Cuba only produce 1,550,00 tons
of sugar in excess of what we re-
quire for our domestic consumption
it is obvious that we will have tt
materially increase our domestic
production if the United States is tt
be able to meet the demands for the
article to be made upon it during
1918.
''We cannot hope to increase oul
cane sugar production materially
this year and, therefore, the ability
of this nation to meet the demands
to be made upon it for sugar will bt
governed almost entirely by the re-
Spouse made by the farmers of the
country to the appeal of the food
administration, for an increased
sugar beet production.
FrQm - response male to our