The Bozeman courier., 1924-10-22
SUGAR CROP TO
help FARMERS
viii Conserve Fertility of
Soil, Speaker Tells
BOZemaniteS

the only competition to the SC-c2liel !
sugar trust, but also offers ore So
luton TO the present farm distress.
Charles Il. Allen, president of the
farmers Suga, Co. ol Defiance, Ohio,
said in an addJess yestrday at noon
before the Rotary club, and in the
evening before the chamber of com
meTce.
"Our agricultural troubles have
been caused principally by depletion
of our soil fertility, through constan,
growing Of wheat and other crops
minaya. clements. These crops
have been sold at less than cost of
production, if the cost Of the mineral
elements they contain were counted.
Sugar, on the other hand, takes
no fertility from the soil. Chemically
it is nothing hut carbon and water.
The sugar beet gets the water from
- in ard the carbon from the
carbon dicxid, in the air through
tkc action Of sunshine on the green
leaves of the plant
Sunshine and rain are jneXhaust
iblc,' the speaker declared, "and
America should follow the agricul-
tural practice Of Germany, France,
Denmark ard Belgium, and raise moro
of such farm products as do ne:
exhaust the soil, instead of 50
much wheat, corn and other crops
that are ioN IN price and are hard
on soil fertility"
While sugar beets take fertile soil,
the speaker explained that tops and
crown are left On the ground to be
p.oWed under and the pulp, after
SUGAR is extracted. is put back on the
land as feed for dairy cattle.
I'm 1920 alone" said the speaker,
"the people cf tie United States
l1O,C0o 900 OF us-went to Cuba and
handed over 00,0OO,O0O for the sun
shine and rain over Cuba in the form
of sugar. just as if we didn't have
any Of cur own"
MI. Allen u.Zed his hearers to in
sist that their congressman support
such laws as viii roster the produc-
tion Of food products that come from
thu ineXhaustble materials, not from
the cXhausli6ie mineral matter of the
soil.
The present sugar tariff of $1.76
per 100 pounds is none too high for
the protection of the American farm
er against the black labor and cheap
living conditions of foreign countries,
he said. Yet the Cuban sugar interests
want It still further reduced, so they
can in turn cut the price Of sugar SO
low during three months when do
nestic sugar is or the market, that
the American former will be forced
out OF the sugar business. Then with
no competition, the speaker charged,
the trust could boost the price as high
as they pleased.
Branding as a myth the idea that
governmental stimulation of the
American sugar crop or tariff, raises
the price of sugar, the speaker assert
ed that in reality sugar is always low
est in price at the time the domestic
crop is gcing en- the market in com
petition with the imports from Cuba
"A week after Ohio and Michigan
sugar factories began to grind beets
last fall, they offered sugar as fa1
east as Buffalo at 80 cents a 10G
pounds less than the price quoted OF
the New York stock exchange But
the sugar grcwn in America was prac
tically ali sold and consumed By tn,
middle Of February and then the pric.
advanced because the entire supply
was in the hands Of the sugar trust
the seven refineries in New York City
which control the Cuban sugar imports
when sugar goes so high. tn
housewives organize boycotts but they
have no effect. The price does no.
drop until the home grown crop goe.
SAA VIZ MAJ "a = anu ItlCH u uiOGS Iul
med;ately. During the months of No
yember, December and January u
last year the home sugar crop save,
the American people $3O,OOO,OOO ol
their sugar bill. But through tn
summer New York capital will dictat
the price en- the basis of Cuban suga.
the late President Harding sal
the way to reduce the high price o
sugar was to grow mere at home
Every year his policy is proved"
Mr.. Allen explained that with prop
er encouragement, beet growers il
this state could not only grow all tn
sugar the state needs, but could ais
furnish her neighbors. And in dOinl
50 the farmers wuold be selling Onl
sunshine and rain. instead Of the eH