18 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Beets yield from 10 to 13 tons per acre, and the grower receives 

 from $50 to $70 or more per acre for a crop that leaves his land in 

 better condition after harvest than before. Moreover, the market for 

 the beets is found before the crop is planted. Beet factories fur- 

 nish in pulp a serviceable stock feed. The growth of this industry 

 and the plans for its increase indicate that beet raising for sugar 

 purposes is much desired by farmers for profit and cultural benefit 

 to the land. 



If the by-products of the beet-sugar manufacture are combined 

 with the factory value of the sugar, the total value of the products 

 of the beet-sugar industry in 1912 is found to be about $67,000,000. 



The cane-sugar industry fared badly this year on account of the 

 Mississippi River flood. The production of sugar is the lowest since 

 1899, and the value of the products of the industry, including mo- 

 lasses and sirup, is only about $34,000,000. 



The sorghum sirup and maple sugar and sirup industries of the 

 farm produce a value of about $15,000,000 a year, and the total of 

 this amount and of the value of the products of the beet-sugar and 

 cane-sugar industries is about $117,000,000 for 1912. This is a re- 

 duction of about $20,000,000 below the combined values of these in- 

 dustries for 1911, but the loss of the cane-sugar industry in 1912 as 

 compared with 1911 is much more than this amount, so that had it 

 not been for the Mississipj^i flood the value of the products of these 

 industries would have been higher than in 1911, and the amount for 

 that year was the highest reached. 



SUMMARY OF COMPARISONS. 



The year 1912 was a record breaking one for crop production and 

 crop values. Only two crops had been exceeded twice in produc- 

 tion, and these are wheat and tobacco. The high production of buck- 

 wheat half a century ago is ignored. Only two crops had been ex- 

 ceeded once in production, and these are cotton and rice. All of the 

 other crops stand at high-water mark — all of the cereals but wheat 

 and rice, the great hay crop, potatoes, flaxseed, and beet sugar. 



"With respect to value, the only crops that have been exceeded three 

 times are potatoes and cotton seed; the crops exceeded twice in value 

 are wheat, cotton seed, tobacco, and rye; and the crops that have 

 been exceeded once in value are cotton lint, beet sugar, and buckwheat 

 (since 1869). All other crops reached their highest value in 1912, 

 and these included all of the cereals except wheat and rye, the prom- 

 inent hay crop, flaxseed, and beet-sugar by-products. 



INCREASE OVER 1911, 



The year 1911 was one of low production, 1912 of high production. 

 The contrast clearly appears when expressed in percentages of in- 



