San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-30
Suggestion Made That
Grain Growers Plant
Sugar Beets.
CROP lSREMUNERATlVE
Washington Officials Anx-
ious to Give Plan
Good Trial.
BY HARDEN COLFAX.


Washington, ID. C., Sept. 29.-Out
of the series of farm relief confer
ICES, which have engaged the atten'
li6 N of official Washington for the
past fortnight or so. has come Q
suggestion, received with favor in high
quarters, which. If adopted, would Ell.
feet a radical change in agricultural
economics through the great. wheat
belt of the United States.
The proposal is that the wheat
farmer, at present realizing less than
cost on his product, divert a eonsld'
cradle proportion OF his acres to the
cultivation of sugar beets.. 49,
At the present time the average
Weld of wheat per acre is less than
fourteen bushels and the price. on the
farm. averages less than 80 cents.
The average return to the farmer
is estimated at less than $13 for each
acre planted in wheat, considerably
below production cost.
Sugar beet farmers are obtaining
according to best available returns
here, an average yield of about ten
tons to the acre.
An average price per ton of beett
is somewhat difficult to obtain, due
largely to the practice Of many farm
ers who dispose of their crop to the
factories on share and share basis
but the figure is placed conservative
ly at SIS a ton. -,
More likely, it is said the $1C
level is more nearly accurate.
At the lower figures, however, the
return to the farmer. on the average
would be $50 an acre, or more thar
six times the income obtainable from
the same land producing wheat.
Would Extend Industry.
Secretary Wallace is on record Al
fayoring the extension of sugar beet
growing in America and President
Coolidge, it is reported, has had hi.
attention called to the possibility Of
relief to TIE wheat farmer by the
diversion of part Of the wheat acreage
to beets.
The President, who recently learned
from the tariff commission of the
work being done by that body in con
nection with the beet sugar industry
lis said to be turning the proposal
over in his mind with viw to ascer
Nkning its utility as a suggestion tc
whsat. farmers for next years &c
tlvitles.
At the present time the United
States draws most of its annual o.,
100000 tons of sugar from Cuba.
Cuban producers dominate the
sugar market in this country,
The beet sugar industry her is com
paratively small, but has been develop
ing under the protection of tariff
of LIB cents a pound to considerable
proportions.
All told the total creage planted
in sugar beets in the United States
Is approximately 100000.
The wheat acreage as estimatde by
the Department of Agriculture re-
Gently approximate 5S,000,000 acres
The reduction by 100000 acres
of this vast area, officials here calcu
late, would so restrict wheat produc
ton in the United States as to afford
the farmer a profit.
Department of Agriculture special
lists say that sugar beets grow best
when rotated with other crops, beins
planted on the same land about once
every five years.
Reduction of the wheat belt by A.
100000 acres and a rotation of that
sort, would make annually available
for the produ, Ion of sugar beets
about 2,S00,000 acres.
Very Heavy Output.
On q yield of approximately one
and one-third tons of sugar per acre
the annual production. in addition
to the amount now being produced
would approximate 100000 tons OF
beet sugar and that volume of produc.
ton, coupled with the present yield
OF beet sugar and cane would make
the country independent of foreign
markets for its sugar supply.
1t would also eliminate foreign
control of sugar prices.
.I he potential beet sugar states,
1c6fding to the Department of Agri.
culture are: New Hampshire, Yer
mont. Massachusetts,. Connecticut
Rhode Island, New York. New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania. Maryland, Della
ware, Virginia and West Virginia in
the east; Ohio, Indiana. Illinois,
Michigan, Minnesota. Wisconsin,
Iowa, the Dakotas and Nebraska in
the Middle West and Colorado, Utah,
New Mexico and SHRDLU. .....
New Mexico, Nevada and California
in the West.
No more than half of these states
are growing beets to any extent at
the present time